Celebrating a special friendship with our twin towns - Could you get involved by hosting one of our twinning guests?

Ashford has forged strong links with mainland Europe through its twin towns, and this year sees our 60th anniversary of twinning with Bad Münstereifel and the 40th anniversary with Fougères.

Ashford is hosting a special anniversary visit in September with ‘Then and Now – a Celebration of Twinning’ the theme when the town hosts a special civic visit from 19- 23 September.

The Ashford Twinning Association (ATA) have created a free exhibition showcasing our special relationship which residents are encouraged to visit. The exhibition will be held on the ground floor of the Ashford Gateway on Church Rd (TN23 1AS) from Monday 2 to Saturday 28 September (the Gateway is closed on Sundays). It will be in the former Tourist Information Centre area.

Ashford Twinning Association would be delighted to hear from anyone who’d like to get involved, particularly people who may want to host guests from one of the twin towns.

Secretary Phillppa Seager said: “It goes without saying that we are looking forward very much to this year’s event in September. Much preparatory work has already been taking place to ensure that the 2024 Civic Exchange in Ashford is an immense success for all three towns.”

A memory or home to share?

Anyone who would like to get involved in the twinning visit and host a guest from either Fougères or Bad Munstereifel, or has some special memories or photos from a visit to either twin town should contact Philippa Seager - secretary@ashfordtwintowns.uk / 01233 534600.

Twinning tale

Ashford’s history with Bad Münstereifel started in the early 20th Century. However, twinning didn't take place until 26 August 1964. The Fougères connection began with a liaison amicale in 1978. This was followed by an official ceremony in 1984.

A view of Château de Fougères taken from public gardens

The history of this Anglo-German partnership goes back to the First World War. In 1919 Bad Münstereifel was occupied by British troops and one of them, Major J. Goode, formed bonds that endured throughout the period between the two world wars and even survived the Second World War. The idea behind this initiative was to give young people from Germany and Britain a chance to get to know each other better after the war. 

The beginnings of a partnership between Bad Münstereifel and Fougères began in 1964, when a number of towns in Brittany were seeking contact with Rhineland towns.

All three towns are linked together as Bad Munstereifel and Fougères are also twinned with each other with their own twinning dating back to 1967.

A Friendship Stone located in Ashford Town Centre links signifies the link between Bad Munstereifel and Ashford

In good times and bad

The partnership between the three towns goes way beyond the official annual civic visits. They extend to youth and school visits, exchanges between local organisations, sports clubs and associations such as the Ashford Beekeepers.

The power of this special friendship was demonstrated in July 2021 when devastating storms caused flooding that destroyed a large part of Bad Munstereifel’s beautiful and historic town centre. 

The Twinning Association and Ashford’s Twinning Champion launched a Just Giving campaign raising an incredible £13, 844 through generous donations from Ashford residents.

Rebuild underway at Bad Munstereifel’s town centre in 2022 after the 2021 flooding.

Cllr Heather Hayward, portfolio holder for tourism and culture, said: “We are very proud of Ashford’s long history with our twin towns, and we are looking forward to hosting them on such a special year for us all. I would encourage anyone who would like to know more about twinning to visit the exhibition at the Ashford Gateway throughout September or to visit the Ashford Twinning Association website.”