Welcome to the Dorchester-Bayeux Society. We are the oldest twinning society in Dorchester and our aim is to promote and participate in twinning events between the towns of Dorchester and Bayeux, in Normandy.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to speak French to enjoy being a member of the Society. Many of our French friends speak little English but we all manage to communicate one way or another.
Bayeux is a lovely town full of history, interesting architecture, museums, and excellent shops. Visit the Bayeux page to see what the city has to offer.
At the heart of our annual programme is the two-year cycle of alternating exchange visits with our equivalent society in Bayeux. In September 2026, we will be hosted by members of the twinning society in Bayeux in their homes. The hosting is co-ordinated jointly by the two societies. It's a good way to make new friends, but members can make their own accommodation arrangements if they prefer, especially if they are new to twinning.
Visits usually take place over a long weekend and are very often arranged to coincide with a local event such a fair or a pageant.
The Dorchester-Bayeux Society is a membership organisation with an annual subscription of £20 per adult.
In addition to twinning visits we offer the following for our members:
- A winter programme of interesting talks around a variety of French themes.
- A season of French language films with English subtitles at the Corn Exchange.
- Social events to help members keep in touch.
- If you like pétanque, we organise occasional tournaments in Dorchester and Weymouth.
- The civic town twinning relationship, around which the society is founded, is maintained by Dorchester Town Council. Society members are invited to take part in some civic twinning events.
- Other organisations have benefited from exchange visits, including music and sports groups, and local schools. We're happy to help, if we can, by brokering potential connections through groups in both towns with similar interests such as walking, cycling, tennis, football, music, archaeology, horticulture etc. In addition, we have some contact with education providers in Bayeux.
If you are interested in joining us, fill in the form on the 'Contact us' page.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Last update to this page: Monday 6th July 2026
