MP Claire Hazelgrove, pictured second left, meeting residents involved in the twinning programme
Visitors from France and Germany were welcomed to a special event in Filton to celebrate lasting links with its respective twin towns St Vallier- sur-Rhône and Witzenhausen — forged through Concorde.
Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Claire Hazelgrove attended the Filton Twinning Association event at BAWA to hear more about the programme, which has been running since the 1970s.
The event culminated a week-long exchange, which saw members from both partner towns visiting Filton between July 25 and 30, hosted by local families volunteering their home and time.
At the celebration event, Ms Hazelgrove met with Carole Duckett, who has served as hospitality officer at the Filton Twinning Association for over 40 years, alongside members of the association and delegates from St Vallier-sur-Rhône in France and Witzenhausen in Germany, and everyone enjoyed music performed by members of the association.
Twinning with Filton started when the Mayor of St Vallier, Mr Witzen, visited the German town Witzenhausen that shared his name. Those two towns became twinned.
Not long after this, Sarma in St Vallier and BAC in Filton collaborated on the Concorde project and Filton joined to form a tripartite twinning linking the three towns.
Claire Hazelgrove, MP for the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency, said: “I was glad to support the Filton Twinning Association’s event and exchange programme with our visitors from St Vallier-sur-Rhône in France and Witzenhausen in Germany.
“Forged through Concorde, these ties and friendships have been built and maintained between our communities over many years. This was lovely to see and hear stories firsthand.
“It was also a real pleasure to enjoy the music from members of the association, and to hear about the warm welcome our visitors received from host families right across Filton this week.
“Thank you to the Filton Twinning Association and to all local families who opened their doors to continue to build this decades-long friendship.”