Members of the Huntingdon and Godmanchester Twinning Association (HGTA) gathered together in Wertheim, Germany, to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of twinning between the three towns.
The mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr David Landon Cole, Godmanchester mayor, Cllr Richard Taplin and 16 members of the HGTA attended the event which took place at the end of July in the Town Hall of Wertheim.
Originally twinned in 1981, the celebrations were delayed for a year due to COVID and HGTA chair David Brown said: “It was wonderful to be back among friends."
HGTA members met up with their host families along with guests from Csobánka, a small town in Hungary and two of HGTA’s other twin towns, Salon de Provence in France and Szentendre in Hungary.
Cllr Landon Cole said one of the reasons why he wanted to represent Huntingdon in Wertheim was "Because we want to get to know each other. Because we want to understand each other. Because we are friends and because we want the next generations of our city dwellers to be friends as well”.
Representatives of the partner towns and cities celebrated the big double anniversary together, made speeches and re-signed Twinning Charters between the towns, after which presents were exchanged.
With their signatures, Lord Mayor Herrera Torrez and the Mayors of Csobánka, Huntingdon and Godmanchester reaffirmed and renewed the partnership agreements between their towns.
Cllr Richard Taplin, Mayor of Godmanchester, said. "We here in Europe should never forget how well we are doing. It has never been more important to maintain close and personal relationships with our European neighbours.
"After a warm welcome and Wertheim's wonderful hospitality, I have more and more the feeling that I am also at home in Wertheim. That's why today I would like to declare: Ich bin ein Wertheimer".
Wertheim Lord Mayor Markus Herrera Torrez said as part of his speech: "Everyone knows, appreciates and likes each other. And some of this has been the case for many years."
"I would like to encourage us to take on a pioneering role at the municipal level, to intensify our efforts, to ensure that the ties once we have formed become even stronger”.
The city medal in bronze was awarded posthumously by Wertheim's mayor to Malcolm Lyons, HGTA chair, who sadly died in March. His successor, David Brown, accepted the award on his behalf and said some appropriate words of thanks.
David said: “There were tears for old and new friends and it was all in all a great celebration”.
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