The Hendreds are twinned with Sarceaux, a village of similar size, near Argentan in Normandy, France.
Twinning began in 1997 with the official signing of charters. The 10th anniversary was celebrated in Sarceaux in 2007, with a special weekend, including a fireworks display on the Saturday evening. A DVD was prepared and premiered during the weekend; it showed the twinning events over the previous 10 years. The Hendreds special contribution to the weekend was a display of Morris dancing in full costume (following a crash course over the preceding weeks, coached by a member of the Wantage team).
Exchanges have been between the two communities each year, with 25 to 30 people taking part from each country. All those involved stay with host families. The exchange normally starts by travelling overnight on a Friday in early July, to arrive in the host village early on the Saturday morning. There are activities on both Saturday and Sunday, usually with a visit by coach to an attraction on the Sunday. In the UK these have included London, Hampton Court, Warwick Castle, Longleat, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and in France Cherbourg, Giverney Gardens, Bayeux, Caen (Peace Museum, Abaie des Hommes), Falaise and several WWII sites including Arromanches.
One of the regular activities each year is an Aunt Sally challenge, which has been won more times by the French than by the English!
There is a replica of the East Hendred kissing gate (on the path through Snells) in Sarceaux, in memory of their Deputy Mayor (keen twinner) who was killed in a car crash. This was officially opened during the exchange week-end in 2001.
The Twinning Group organise fund raising and social events during the year . Membership of the Group is £6 for a family, and £4 for an individual. Members are also welcome from surrounding communities.
We have members from Ardington, Letcombe Regis, Childrey and Wantage.
There are always special rates for accompanied children travelling to Sarceaux (in 2011 school-age children travelled for free).
The Hendreds are hosting the 2012 exchange over the week-end of July 7-9th. There are already plans in place for the event on the Saturday evening and a visit to St.Fagans (Welsh National Museum), near Cardiff on the Sunday. 
