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Why not get involved with twinning?

Since 1999 Sleaford has been twinned with a town in northern France called Marquette-lez-Lille. In September 2009 we celebrated 10 years of twinning with Marquette-lez-Lille here in Sleaford and we signed  a new twinning agreement with Fredersdorf-Vogelsdorf in Germany.

The twinning association acts for the Town Council and sees its main role as that of promoting links between the three towns at every level. This often involves helping interest groups to set up their own exchanges, as well as the organisation of visits to and from Sleaford’s twin towns.

Visits by other groups, with the association acting as the go-between and offering any assistance needed, have grown in the course of the years. The most regular links have been sporting ones, with both junior footballers and junior rugby players taking part in annual tournaments in Marquette-lez- Lille. An RAF Cranwell rugby team travelled to France in the early days and Sleaford runners have been to both France and Germany to take part in twin town races. Sleaford Striders hosted a very successful visit from runners from Fredersdorf-Vogelsdorf over the 2011 August Bank Holiday weekend, running with their guests in the 10 km run at Grimsthorpe Castle on the Bank Holiday Monday. They have been invited back to Germany in September 2012.

Musicians and artists have also shared their talents with our twin towns, notably the Sleaford Concert Band and the Band from County Hell. The latter have an active following in both Marquette and Fredersdorf-Vogelsdorf after their visits to these towns while the French bands Évasion and Doubl’age and the German band The Paddies, have all featured in Sleaford Live.

School links have flourished over the past two years, with several local primary schools using e-mail to discover more about the language and culture of France and Germany and an active exchange blossoming between Kesteven and Sleaford High School and the Oberschule in Fredersdorf-Vogelsdorf.

If you are interested or just want more information, please contact:
Jan Mathieson – Secretary on 01529 303232

Sheila Wheeldon – Chair on 01529 414309
Rosemary Segebarth- Vice-Chair on 01526 834876