Preparing a wunderbares Willkommen for our German friends (2024)
Preparations are underway to welcome friends from our borough’s twin district of Troisdorf in Germany during October as the 35th anniversary of Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association approaches next year.
Pamela Stenson, Chair of the Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association explained that it is the first time that members of the Troisdorf group have visited in five years because of Covid and associated travel restrictions. Last year a group from Redcar & Cleveland went to Troisdorf to renew acquaintances and make new friends.
And this year it’s hoped that sporting and other local organisations from our borough will consider joining the Association with a view to organising ‘international’ tournaments and competitions.
The Saltburn Table Tennis group has already joined; they represented Redcar & Cleveland in a hugely enjoyable tournament in Troisdorf last year and are returning to Germany later this year. A chess tournament between the twin towns might also take place soon.
Pamela said: “We’re looking for any organisations who might be interested in maybe organising future competitions to get in touch. Whether they’re able to visit Troisdorf or to invite their German counterparts it’s a great way to make longer term, deeper connections with people from a different culture.
We’re looking forward to our friends from the Troisdorf association coming over this autumn. They’ll be meeting our new mayor and some children from local schools as well as going out on day trips. We’re a friendly bunch and we’d love anyone interested in getting involved to get in touch.”
Troisdorf is a district similar to our own with a proud industrial heritage and areas of great beauty made up of ten small towns close to Bonn and Cologne.
Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association, which is self-funded, has been twinned with Troisdorf since 1990. For more information please contact Pamela Stenson by emailing chairman@redcarandclevelandtwinningassocation.org.uk or take a look at the website: www.redcarandclevelandtwinningassociation.org.uk.
Trip to Troisdorf June 2023.
Last month 17 of our members enjoyed a wonderful few days in Troisdorf for the first time since 2018; we renewed old friendships with our German hosts and made many more new friends too as we visited the 160-year old family-run Coffee Roasting House of Schmidz-Mertens as well as the Karneval Museum, followed by a walking-tour of the town centre, on Tues 23rd May and then the historic city of Kȍln / Cologne with its magnificent Dom / Cathedral on the next day. The early evening views from the LVR Viewing Tower across the River Rhine were spectacular. On our third full day we travelled by bus to the restored Henrichenburg Ship Lift, where we were also treated after a traditional Currywurst lunch at the Gastrobus to a 2-hour canal boat trip.
The Mayor of Troisdorf Alexander Biber greeted us at the Town Hall on arrival and was present for part of the Tuesday evening when we all shared in a 3-course meal together with our host families and friends at the Siegfӓhre Restaurant.
In April 13 players from the Saltburn Over-50s Table Tennis Club were also in Troisdorf to participate in an International Table Tennis Tournament organised by the ESV Club Troisdorf alongside other Twin Town representatives.
Willkommen in Redcar and Cleveland! (2015)
Willkommen in Redcar and Cleveland!
Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association recently entertained visitors from our twin town, Troisdorf in Germany, as part of our 25th Anniversary Celebrations.
The group arrived at the Redcar Heart on Tuesday 22nd September to a reception hosted by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. They were greeted by our Mayor, Councillor Brenda Forster, and members of the Twinning Association before going to settle in with their host families or at Saltburn House.
The following three days were very busy with visits to Preston Park Museum, Ampleforth Abbey, The Saxon Princess and Beauty and the Beach Exhibitions at Kirkleatham Hall Museum and Loftus. Evenings were busy too with a special anniversary dinner at the Redcar Heart on Wednesday evening and an anniversary concert at Guisborough Methodist Church with the Apollo Male Voice Choir.
At Preston Park Museum we discovered there were strong links with Germany as the Ropner family from Magdeburg, who were engaged in ship building and steel production, owned the house in Victorian times. We had a very warm welcome from the staff at the museum and a most interesting guided tour.
The visit to Ampleforth was also most enjoyable and included a tour of their orchards and cider mill, cider and apple product tasting and a talk about the history of the abbey. Apart from a brief shower, the weather was glorious and highlighted the beautiful countryside in the north of England on both the outward and return journeys.
Friday was a fascinating day looking at our history closer to home. It began with a visit to Kirkleatham Hall Museum and a guided tour of the Saxon Princess Exhibition. We then continued to Loftus where we had a most hospitable welcome at Loftus Town Hall from the Mayor, Mike Hodgson, and Father Adam Gaunt and were served a very convivial lunch by members of their council and volunteers. Dr Steve Sherlock then spoke with great enthusiasm about the discovery of the Saxon Princess and all the artefacts before later taking the party up to the site of the excavations at Street House on the north eastern outskirts of Loftus. There was also a visit to St Leonard’s Church in Loftus to hear a brief history of the parish.
Wednesday evening was a very special time where we all attended an anniversary dinner and entertainment hosted by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Mayor Brenda Forster welcomed everyone and spoke warmly of the friendship we have with the people from Troisdorf. The Mayor of Troisdorf, Herr Klaus-Werner Jablonski also spoke to thank everyone for organising the visit and to underline the importance of communication and understanding between the nations of the world, particularly given the many troubled areas in conflict at the present time. Gifts were exchanged to mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the town twinning between Redcar and Cleveland and Troisdorf.
The entertainment for the evening was given by Normanby’s Top-line school choir, Marske Fishermen’s Choir and Abi Alton. Our German visitors were also presented with bottles of beer from the Redcar Brewery, based at The Cleveland in Coatham High Street.
A further evening of musical entertainment was provided by the Apollo Male Voice Choir at Guisborough Methodist Church on Friday evening, with guest soprano, Samantha Holden. The choir travelled to Troisdorf with the Twinning Association on our first group visit there in April 1991. To mark the 25th anniversary they presented a mixed programme of music from the shows, Welsh choir and classical pieces that everyone there enjoyed.
On Saturday morning all of our German visitors and members of the Twinning Association together with Mayor Brenda Forster gathered at Saltburn House for a full English breakfast and farewell to our guests. There was just time for a stroll along the prom and a ride on the cliff lift before bidding fond farewells to the Troisdorf visitors until next year.
For more photos of these events go to Photo gallery
If you have enjoyed hearing about this visit and think you would like to participate in future visits and events we are always looking for new members for Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association. You don’t need to speak German although it can be useful. An interest in international links and friendship is more important. If you would like to find out more please email the secretary, secretary@redcarandclevelandtwinningassociation.org.uk .
We also have a web-site which gives more insight into the organisation www.redcarandclevelandtwinningassociation.org.uk
A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF ANGLO-GERMAN FRIENDSHIP.(2015)
A QUARTER of a century of Anglo-German friendship has been celebrated as Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association marked its 25-year anniversary in September 2015.
The Borough has been twinned with the Rhine Valley town of Troisdorf since 1990, and to mark the anniversary a party of 21 visitors from the town, as well as the Mayor of Troisdorf Herr Klaus-Werner Jablonski, joined their counterparts from the region for a week of celebration, which featured a performance from Guisborough’s former X Factor contestant Abi Alton.
The majority of the visitors stayed with host families over the week.
Pamela Stenson, chair of the Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association, has been involved with the link on and off since the very beginning, going on the first visit to Troisdorf in April 1991.
She said: “Most hosts have personal friendships with the families from hosting or visiting them over the years.
“It’s not just the same people visiting though, there’s always new people coming along on every trip.
“There’s one lady, named Eva, who’s never been over before and she was entranced by Saltburn in particular – we’ve had some lovely sunsets.”
Kim Arnold, one of the hosts, has been involved with the Association for 14 years.
She added: “The two people staying with us, Loni and Wolfgang, have become good friends since we first started visiting and hosting them.
“We were total strangers 14 years ago but we’ve since been to birthdays and weddings; we’ve enjoyed getting to know their family and them us.”
Events during the visit included trips to Ampleforth Abbey and Preston Park Museum, culminating in a 25th Anniversary Concert on Friday, September 25th, with the Apollo Male Voice Choir – some of whom travelled and performed on the first visit in 1991.
Redcar and Cleveland Council hosted a celebration night on Wednesday, September 23rd, with both Mayor Jablonski of Troisdorf and Redcar and Cleveland’s Mayor, Cllr Brenda Forster, speaking at the event and exchanging gifts, and performances from Abi Alton, Normandy Topline Choir and the Marske Fisherman’s Choir.