by Peter Start – Secretary of Friends of Speyer
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At the invitation of the Oberbergermeister of Speyer (Hansjorg Eger), a delegation of 23 Spalding people set out on July 6 to travel to Speyer specifically to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the town twinning partnership.
The party was led by Coun Angela Newton (chairman of the Friends of Speyer) and Coun Michael Seymour (chairman of South Holland District Council) and his wife, Pauline, both of whom were officially invited guests of the Municipality of Speyer.
On the Friday evening Herr Eger hosted a civic reception in the historic Council Hall to officially mark the 60th anniversary of the partnership.
The Oberbergermeister made a speech of welcome in which he outlined the history of the link, the benefits it has brought to both towns during its existence and expressed a hope that notwithstanding the diminishing support for the partnership, for mainly demographic reasons, that the ethos behind it will continue in both towns for the foreseeable future.
He referred to the strong social bonds, some going back very many years that have been cultivated between Spalding and Speyer families, initially through the mutual civic link (which was broken by South Holland District Council about 12 years ago) and subsequently maintained by the Friends Groups in both communities. He referred also to the links between schools through educational exchanges, cultural, religious and service exchanges between choirs, churches and Round Table in both towns.
Coun Seymour thanked the Speyer community for their unfailingly kind and generous hospitality over the past 60 years. On behalf of the Friends of Speyer, Coun Newton presented the Oberbergermeister with a framed montage of Spalding landmarks, painted by Sonia Bramma.
On the Saturday the Spalding party were taken by their hosts and others by coach to Bad Durkheim via “the Wine Route”. Bad Durkheim is a pretty town with a splendid park created with EU money.
A special ecumenical church service was held on the Sunday morning at the Christukirche. The venue was particularly appropriate because ten years previously, on the 50th anniversary of the twinning, a commemorative oak tree was planted in a small garden. That tree and garden is lovingly maintained today.
Sunday evening was the occasion for the traditional “Farewell Dinner” for fond goodbyes, remembrances, reminiscences and pledges to renew mutual friendships next year in Spalding.
However, the outlook for the future of the twinning is not good. Modern generations have not been attuned to the necessity of post war reconciliation between the nations, which was the reason for twinning programmes in the immediate post war years. The age profile of both of the Spalding/Speyer twinning groups is now between 65 and 86 years.
Reluctantly those in the Friends of Speyer have decided to dissolve the group and this was communicated to Speyer in advance, so this trip was in the nature of “a last hurrah”. Health on both sides permitting, where relationships of long standing have been forged, they are likely to continue but on a private ad-hoc basis.
As a parting gesture of friendship the Friends of Spalding gave a £150 donation to be passed on to a Spalding charity of choice.
