Friends in Germany

SEAFORD twinning group The Friends of B nningstedt have returned from a successful twin-towns' tour.

In five packed days they visited two parliaments, a pair of town halls, a brace of churches and a castle. And that didn't include the social side of the programme!

Some 21 members flew, sailed, drove or took the train to B nningstedt, just north of Hamburg. There they were met by their hosts and the town council, for a welcome meal in the municipal bar and restaurant. Friendships were renewed and new members made to feel at home.

Activities included a guided tour of Hamburg and an evening reception with choir performances and speeches from the Mayor of B nningstedt and the chairman of the local county council. The county, Kreis Pinneburg, has been twinned with East Sussex since 1956.

Twinning society member Peter White said people were surprised by the chairman's topic of conversation. 'The chairman's speech did cause a ripple of surprise as it mentioned Pinneburg and East Sussex exchanging ideas over the incineration of waste, not a popular topic in Seaford!'

The main speaker was the British Consul-General for Northern Germany, Douglas McAdams, who spoke on the value of twinning.

The visit marked the 20th anniversary of Mr White, who is the Seaford town crier, being made Stadtausrufer of B nningstedt. He was presented with a framed picture, and a book of historic photographs. Burgermeister Peter Gehring joked: 'Now you are obliged to be our town crier for another 20 years'. In return Mr White gave him a photograph of the Seven Sisters and a book of Sussex recipes.

The Seaford visitors also spent two days in the former East Germany, visiting one of B nningstedt's two other twin towns, Crivitz. They first visited there in 1990, before the border controls were swept away.

In Crivitz, after the official welcome by the Burgermeister Ulli G ssmann, and the chairman of the county council, Frau Stein, visitors enjoyed the hospitality of another group of host families and visited local lakes, churches and shops.

The friends from B nningstedt and Crivitz have agreed to make their next visit to Seaford in May 2003. They are also planning to send tennis players to a tournament in Seaford in August, a group from their youth club in the autumn, and are enquiring about links with local choirs.

Readers interested in joining the Friends can contact the membership secretary on 013232 896346.