THE long-awaited start to the Great British summer could not have come at a better time for Stogursey villagers who celebrated the 25th anniversary of their twinning link with Lonlay l'Abbaye in Normandy, France, with a host of events at the weekend.

The world-renowned historical re-enactment society the Sealed Knot provided the centrepiece for the weekend's British Heritage Festival, with a living history camp and re-enactments of "skirmishes" between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians from the 17th century.

Troops took to the streets, armed and ready for some good old fashioned civil war fighting to mark the occasion.

The village church hosted a slightly more genteel flower festival based on scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry, telling the story of the Norman Conquest.

The weekend also featured morris dancers, a brass/woodwind band, singers, dancers and Punch and Judy, as well as a wide variety of stalls selling local crafts and produce.

The special guests for the weekend - 90 twinners from Lonlay l'Abbaye - were welcomed with a reception hosted by Lady Gass at Fairfield House in Stogursey on Friday.

Other honoured VIPs included Joan and George Moore who first founded the twinning link when they decided to research a genuine historical link between the two villages.

The church in Stogursey was built on land given by William the Conqueror to the monks of Lonlay l'Abbaye.

Joan and George visited Normandy as part of a research trip, called in at the abbey church, met the parish priest - and the rest, as they say, is history!

Since then, Stogursey villagers have hosted groups of between 50 and 70 French visitors for one weekend each year, before making a return trip to Normandy themselves.

Photos: Steve Guscott