MELKSHAM is celebrating its 35th year of being twinned with Avon in France.

The twinning of the two towns was decreed by a charter signed by the two mayors of Melksham and Avon in 1980 to promote a relationship between the two cultures.

To mark the milestone the Melksham and District French Twinning Association hosted an itinerary packed with events for members of Avon twinning party.

The 33 visitors were treated to a reception held by Mayor Terri Welch at the town hall last Thursday, followed by a concert with folk and country music. Pupils from River Mead were also invited to sing and they have been exchanging letters with school children in Avon to get an insight into their school routine.

The French visitors were then taken to Bath on Friday and a canal trip on Saturday followed by a meal that evening at Bowerhill Village Hall. The dress code was a canal worker theme so diners dressed to impress wearing their best inspired outfits.

Mayor Terri Welch said: “It was brilliant, it really was superb everything went very well. People seemed to get on and it was really rather nice that some children came over.”

Members of both groups take turns to visit each other’s town every year. Acting chair of the group David Hawkins and his wife Diane have been in contact with a French family for the past 20 years.

Speaking about the importance of the twinning he said: “It’s for youngsters to see the benefits of meeting with other cultures and for them to share links with families and ideally organisations.

“The French chairman spoke towards the end of the day on Saturday and said it was one of the best times they have had. They were all delighted.”