Saint-Maixent-L'École was Horsham's first twin town, with the twinning agreement signed in 1982. The association with the town began with Horsham Rugby Club, who had been sending a team to Saint-Maixent since 1974. There was so much interest in the prospect of Horsham having a twin town that Horsham District Council held a public meeting in the Town Hall.

The town lies between La Rochelle and Poitiers, in the Poitou-Charentes region of France. Set in rich agricultural lands, Saint-Maixent has a magnificent abbey dating back to the origin of the town in the 6th century as well as a number of other historical buildings. The town was founded in 459 by the monk Agapit. He originally named the town Saint Saturnin. He was joined by another monk, Maixent in 480. During the Wars of Religion, Saint-Maixent became a 'border town' between the Protestant strongholds around to the west and Catholic France to the east. The "L'École" part of the name refers to the French Army NCO School which is based there. Every July the town hosts le Festival des Enfants du Monde, when some 300 children from different countries join in a festival of dance and music. With a population of around 7000, Saint-Maixent-L'École is much smaller than our own town of Horsham. The town enjoys a bustling Saturday market where fresh produce from the region is sold.

We have recorded interviews with a number of residents of St Maixent. You can watch two of them below, the rest are on our YouTube channel.