‘Declaration of friendship’ strengthens Alnwick’s French connection

Alnwick’s French twin town, Lagny-Sur-Marne, invited a delegation from Alnwick Town Council to visit them to discuss student exchanges between the two towns and to examine ways to promote more exchange visits from other groups such as sports clubs and also encourage an increase in tourism.

The Mayor of Alnwick, Cllr. Geoff Watson, together with the Deputy Mayor, Cllr. John Humphries, the Town Clerk, Peter Hately and Cllr. Dianne Watson accepted the invitation. On arrival at Lagny the delegation were given a reception at the Town Hall during which the Mayors of both towns signed a declaration of friendship. This was followed by a tour of the town and facilities of Lagny-Sur-Marne including the administrative headquarters, river attractions and the sports park facilities.

During the visit the Alnwick delegation were able to meet members of Lagny-Sur-Marne’s District Council to discuss the ways the Council operated and compare the similarities and differences between the two towns. The delegation also met a group of international students visiting Lagny which included students from Alnwick.

The Mayor of Alnwick, Cllr. Geoff Watson said, “We were pleased to accept the Mayor of Lagny-Sur-Marne, Jean-Paul Michel’s invitation to visit our French twin town and to discuss the ways in which we could strengthen our relationship. I am delighted to report that the visit was a tremendous success. Exchange visits between students and sports groups are a valuable opportunity for young people to broaden their horizons and to make life-long friendships and I am looking forward to seeing a big increase in the numbers of young Alnwick people visiting Lagny. I am also very interested in encouraging a greater level of tourism to Alnwick from the Lagny-Sur-Marne area and I will be inviting a delegation from Lagny to visit Alnwick next year to show our French counterparts all the attractions that Alnwick has to offer.”