Malvern's twin deal with Bagnères-de-Bigorre to become official in April - The Malvern Observer

Malvern's twin deal with Bagnères-de-Bigorre to become official in April

Malvern Editorial 4th Feb, 2016 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

A TWINNING partnership between Malvern and Bagnères-de-Bigorre will become official in April, it has been announced.

Malvern’s Deputy Mayor Cynthia Palmer flew to South West France on Monday (February 1) for a series of meetings arranged to finalise the twinning of Malvern with the French spa town.

Bagnères-de-Bigorre is located in the Hautes-Pyrénées and is part of the country’s national spa town network, attracting more than 8,500 visitors each year.

It is also linked with three other spa towns in Europe – Tutzing in Germany, Granarolo Dell’Emilia in Italy and Alhama de Granada in Spain.




A public signing of the agreement will take place on Saturday, April 30 in Malvern by Bagnères’ Mayor Jean-Bernard Sempastous and Malvern’s Mayor, Julian I’Anson.

The signing event will coincide with the annual Well Dressing event organised by Malvern Spa Association.


The project began last October with an exchange of letters between the mayors and following a feature article in The Malvern Observer, the Twinning Association was formed – consisting of nine volunteers and two council officials.

The Twinning Association has already approached clubs and societies to gauge support, with Malvern Rugby Club, The Malvern Spa Association, the English Symphony Orchestra, The Rifle and Pistol Club and U3A among those expressing an early interest.

“We’re very lucky to have found a twin town that has so much in common with Malvern,” said Coun Palmer.

“Both councils want the twinning to reach out to the whole community, generating social, sporting, cultural and economic benefits for all. We’ve made great progress with identifying clubs and associations who might benefit from twinning activities.

“Having now seen Bagnères and talked with those who are driving the scheme on their side, I have no doubt we are creating something that will bring real benefits to Malvern,” she added.

Graham Dimmock, chair of the Malvern-Bagnères Twinning Association said: “Twinning is for the whole town. It can add to the fun we get from our hobbies, interests and sports. It can add value for schools and businesses throughout the town, and if it’s done really well it can add significantly to the town’s sense of identity.

“We’ve had initial support from Malvern Town Council, but intend to become self-funding very quickly.

“There is a great deal to do and although we have an active and energetic committee in place, we would eagerly welcome new members, even if they can only give a limited amount of time.”

Gina Butler, Malvern’s school twinning representative, added: “Twinning brings obvious benefits for schools in terms of pupils’ linguistic competence, curriculum enhancement and opportunities for exchange visits.

“The participation of the youth of Malvern will be a crucial factor in determining our future twinning success.”

Call Mr Dimmock on 01684 892036 or Cathy Millar on 01684 575808 for more information on how to get involved with the twinning partnership.

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