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Bourg-de-Péage – France
 Bourg-de-Péage is a thriving town of about 10,000 inhabitants situated on the banks of the River Isere which flows from the Alps to Valence where it merges in the mighty River Rhone.
The general siting is very interesting. Northwards is Lyon, about a ninety minute drive on the ‘Autoroute de Soleil’; to the south are the Roman towns of Provence, such as Orange, Avignon, Nimes and Arles, and on to the Mediterranean. Westwards there is a direct road which leads to the Spanish Frontier and the Costa Brava, and eastwards the route to the Alps, Switzerland, Bavaria and Northern Italy. The new TSV railway station is at Valence, twenty minutes away.
Nearby are the mountains of the Vercors which are beautiful both winter and summer, offering every type of holiday from winter sports, walking and summer camps.
 The town of Bourg-de-Péage is fast modernising itself. The old buildings, picturesque perhaps, but crumbling and dangerous with much war damage, have largely been removed but not every link with the past has gone. The Town Hall Square retains the picturesque appearance of sunlit traditional buildings, even if an extremely up-to-date Day Centre for the elderly and their residence are part of the complex. The old Nunnery of the Minims Order has made way for a most attractive church.
A bypass has been built for through traffic, which has enable the Mairie to restore the streets of the old toll town (peage) to their proper use for slower traffic. The Town Council can say, with some justification, that it has worked hard for the welfare of families and children and has done well in looking after the elderly residents. Schools, sports facilities, including a multi-purpose sports hall and outdoor swimming pool, are among the facilities provided.
The town shows a sturdy independence of its neighbour, Romans, directly opposite on the other side of the River Isere. In the past a large number of Bourg-de-Péagoise have worked in the footwear factories in Roman but in recent times Italian competition resulted in much unemployment. The Mayor at the time, Monsieur Henri Durand, introduced a large supermarket to the town, much to the fear of local traders, but which resulted in more jobs and more country village people flocking to the ‘Giant Casino’ and into the town to the long-established small shops for personal and individual items.
The code name for the rebuilding of Bourg-de-Péage is ‘Renaissance’, very apt. A brand new Post Office was part of this plan, and in 1988 a red English telephone kiosk was presented to the town to mark 25 years of twinning, and now stands outside.
Many East Grinstead children have stayed with families and in groups, have gained work experience in businesses and factories, and have enjoyed sharing in the somewhat ebullient life of the French town. The East Grinstead Rugby Club has had 40 years of exchanges during the Easter festival.
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