Guardian vom 14.07.2009
German visitors enjoy a week of freendship....
By Hayley Revell
Winners:Nancy Booth presents the Bob Booth trophy to the winning Oer-Erkenschwick Twin Town Association team.
Twenty-one visitors from Oer-Erkenschwick in Germany enjoyed a week of culture, outdoors, and friendship in North Tyneside.
North Tyneside Twin Towns Association hosted eleven 17 and 18-years-olds and ten older adults from the Town, which has had
yearly exchanges with NTTTA for almost 30 years.
Sam Henderson, a Whitley Bay High School student, said:"Next time here we should extend the visit to two weeks. And
next year I want to go over and stay there because they are such nice people."
However, he cannot wait, and has already arranged to visit Oer-Erkenschwick later on the summer.
A busy programme was packed into the week, sometimes as a complete group from both Associations, occasionelly for the
"not so young", at the same time seperately organized by and solely for the "young".
The programme included a visit to St James´ Park, and Newcastle city, a welcome meal and party, visits to Bede´s World,
the new and old Tyne Tunnel development (including talks in both English and German), the annual darts competition,
visits to Northumbrian beaches and castles, a St Mary´s Lighthouse history talk and climb, a visit to the new Whitley Bay
Playhouse, ten pin bowling, Beamish Museum, MetroCentre, St Thomas More or Whitley Bay High School visits, a farewell party
including guitar playing, singing, and Northumbrian Pipes, a civic reception at the Quadrant, and a visit to Royal Quays.
This was all interspersed with free time visits to North Tyneside´s beaches, cafes, pubs, tennis courts, countryside,
barbecues, and for example on a free day, Durham. This all helped in the making of new and the continuation of old
friendships.
The planning was carried out by a joint "not so young" and "young" committee. Alexandra Jeffrey, a St Thomas More High
student, who helped to plan the visit, said: "I enjoyed all aspects of the visit. I loved meeting all the people and
making new friends."
She has also arranged to meet her family´s guest again this summer.
North Tyneside Twin Town Assiciation is an independent, voluntary, self-financing organisation, which operates seperately
from the civic links between North Tyneside and its twin towns.
It is customary for North Tyneside Council to invite the visitors from the twin towns´ associations to a civic reception.
The chair of the council, Coun Michael Huscroft, said:"I was looking forward to this visit from Oer-Erkenschwick.
We want to promote this association, and are very thankful to the organizations in both towns. This type of international
friendship makes the world a better, more peaceful place."
Guenter Hintz, chairman of Oer-Erkenschwick Twin Town Association said during the visit: "It is great that everyone
gets on together, and understand each other so well.
"Everyone is welcome in Germany again next year, hopefully with the young."
