'Long live twinning'

It was 1980 when Coleraine became the first town in Northern Ireland to pair up with a French town.

And, since then many groups from the borough have made the trip to La Roche including schools, firemen, social workers, farmers, dancers and family groups.

At last Tuesday’s Leisure and Environment meeting, Chairperson of Coleraine Twinning Association, Tanya Thammavongsa, highlighted the work of the Association.

Tanya spoke of the exchanges that had taken place down through the years, and said that the aim of the Association was to ‘promote friendship and culture’.

She went on to say that as 2010 was a special anniversary for the organisation, events would be planned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the link.

Councillors were quick to praise the Association.

DUP councillor Timothy Deans praised the committee members for their work and said: “Thirty years is a special anniversary, and we should be doing something exciting to mark this.

“Twinning is an important connection, and we need to look at renewing this link.”

Councillor Robert McPherson questioned whether twinning would still have a place, after RPA, and the proposed amalgamation of Coleraine, Ballymoney, Moyle and Limavady Councils.

Acting Director of Leisure Services, Alex Carmichael told councillors that a sub-group of the four cluster councils was in place to look at this issue.

Councillor McPherson added: “It is important that twinning links are in place.”

SDLP councillor John Dallat recalled the formation of the link: “This didn’t just happen overnight. There was a lot of hard work put in 30 years ago.

“That was back in the dark old days when people were reluctant to come here, but the link proved to be a beam of light.

“This anniversary gives us the opportunity to tell a new generation that the link exists.”

Alderman Toye Black looked back at a visit she had made to La Roche and the friendships she had made and remarked: “Long live twinning.”