Some 90 French guests of North Baddesley Twining Association attended Saturday's naming ceremony for Authie Green and Carpiquet Park at the Knight's Grove development on the old Borden Chemicals site.

Robin Oliver, chairman of Baddesley twinning, said that this had put the two Normandy villages "on the map" when he introduced the guests.

Last year Carpiquet named part of a development in their village Test Valley Place and Authie christened a roundabout after North Baddesley.

Test Valley Mayor, Peter Boulton, said he was a "twinning fanatic." The Broughton resident will be visiting their twin French village of Sauve this year and also belongs to the Andover association, which is twinned with communities in the USA, France and Germany.

He invited M. Joel Pizy, mayor of Authie, and Jean-Louis Lachaussee representing Carpiquet to name the new streets and to plant commemorative trees.

Ian Menham, of George Wimpey Southern Counties, said his company were very keen on encouraging community events and had recently provided computer equipment for North Baddesley Junior School.

Building work began at Knight's Grove in January, 2004. It is expected to take another year to finish the development, which is made up 130 homes and a 60-bed BUPA care home. North Baddesley Parish Council chairman, Alan Dowden, praised the hard work of the twinning committee and MP Sandra Gidley called the event a symbolic occasion.

The choir of North Baddesley Junior school, under their conductor Christine Curtis, were introduced in French by head teacher Sue Smith and sang in English World War I favourites such as It's a Long Way to Tipperary, and then two French folk songs.

To end proceedings the school children released a series of balloons which drifted off towards the Channel.

On Sunday Baddesley twinners laid on a tour of the New Forest (founded by Duke William of Normandy) for their visitors. The excursion included a call at Beaulieu and the Rufus Stone, where King William II was shot in the heart.

The trip ended with tea at Wellow Golf Club.

When the committees met on Monday Robin Oliver and the Baddesley committee agreed with Martine Jeanne, chairman of Carpiquet, and Philippe De- lalande, chairman of Authie, that next year's visit to Normandy will be on the May Bank Holiday weekend, which in 2007 coincides with the French public holiday for Pentecost.

It was agreed to set up an Anglo-French golf competition for the Borden trophy and to share out the EC grant, the exact amount of which has yet to be announced by Brussels.