Every year for the past 3 years Bridgwater Town Council has sponsored a week to celebrate the 5 international twinnings that we have with France, Germany, the Czech Republic,Malta and Italy. This year Twinning week is launched on Saturday 26th May at Bridgwater Library where there will be a permanent display throughout by all the Town Twinning Organisations which will be launched at 11am and will finish on Saturday 2nd June with a ‘Talking Twin Towns’ event where people can drop in and chat to the people involved.

On Saturday 2nd June there will also be a major event at the Bridgwater Arts Centre from 7.30pm. The evening will feature entertainment by the globe-trotting ‘Voice of the People’ choir  and a singalong with the ‘Dave the Milkman Big Band’ plus on stage presentations by the 5 twinning groups, an Internationalist quiz and a Portuguese finger buffet provided by Bridgwater’s new Mayor Diogo Rodrigues. All this, which includes free entry in the raffle, will come to £5 and tickets can be bought on the door.

Internationalism, youth and promoting tourism  are some of the priorities of this year’s Mayor. Cllr Rodrigues, Bridgwater’s youngest ever Mayor at 28 and Britain’s first Portuguese Mayor launched his term in office by visiting students  at Chilton School where a dozen Portuguese students  were there to meet him along with a group of students elected to serve on his new ‘Youth Council’ project designed to enthuse young people with a sense of civic involvement. Diogo followed this by a trip to the Czech Republic where he took part in an international funding conference in Bridgwater’s twin town  of Uherske Hradiste and visited the Portuguese Embassy while he was there. For a full report click here.

If you would like to find more about Bridgwater’s twinnings and how you can get involved drop in at the Library during the week, come to the Art Centre event on 2nd June or take a look at the twinning website here.