Tag: Béthune

It’s 47 years since we twinned with Bethune – why not join this summer’s visit?

Since 1972 Hastings has been twinned with Bethune in Northern France for organised homestays and reciprocal visits writes Michael Howard. Bethune is a fascinating ex-mining town in the Pas de Calais region with a bell tower in the town square surrounded by beautiful architecture and lots of little shops and cafes. This year the weekend […]

Sharing the memories – a bond built from the horrors of war

Deputy Mayor of Hastings Councillor James Bacon attended a wreath laying ceremony in Béthune, France, on behalf of the town earlier this month. Situated about ten miles from the front, Béthune was very much a British town during the First World War thanks to the steady flow of Commonwealth soldiers passing through on leave and […]