There has been curiously little contact between Brighton and Dieppe, the nearest port to Britain on the other side of the Channel.

But one man determined to bring the two communities together was the freelance journalist Peter Avis.

He was in many ways the ideal man for the job. A fluent French speaker, he was also a Communist and the ruling party on Dieppe council was more often than not a Communist-led creation.

Avis wrote for theFrench Communist paper l’Humanite and also for the left wing Observer Sunday paper in Britain.

In the 1970s, Avis brought over a group of fellow travellers from Brighton to Dieppe on a day trip and the visit was a success.

The visits became annual and extended over a long weekend. Nearly always staged in September, they were known as The Great Dieppe Trip.

There was usually a civic reception hosted by the Communist Mayor of Dieppe Christian Cuvillier at which wine flowed and many words were spoken, all translated freely by Avis.

Generally there was a coach trip on one of the days to points of interest such as the home of Flaubert and lavish lunches hosted by some Communist led little town.

Once at a small place on the banks of the Seine the Mayor proudly announced firstly that all the vegetables on the menu had been grown in his garden – and secondly that he had never heard of Brighton.

On one of the evenings there would be what Avis grandly described as a banquet as the trippers took over a restaurant.

The cast list for these trips always included some Brighton Communists, some dour and dire, who still believed in the cause despite events in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, plus a number of local Labour luminaries.

When Brighton's council was controlled by Socialists for the first time in 1986, the Labour influence increased and eventually included the town’s two MPs Des Turner and David Lepper.

At one time numbers rose to more than a hundred but this was too unwieldy and usually the party numbered a more manageable 50.

Avis also made the group what he called more ecumenical including many non-party members such as the Brighton Festival director Gavin Henderson and me. I enjoyed the eccentric forays into Normandy but always knew there were some who wished I was not there.

There were many hilarious moments such as watching Avis swim in a rough sea which was pure M Hulot’sHoliday and many drunken escapades.

Avis had a unique style. I could recognise his writing and speech anywhere. His knowledge was immense and his learning vast. He produced the best guide book I have ever seen of anywhere for Dieppe - funny and succinct.

The French appreciated his worth and when he died dedicated a square to him where he often enjoyed a beverage.

There were attempts to keep the trip going but it would never be the same without him although many of us who were fond of him have a drink in his memory each time they visit Dieppe.