Twinning of cities, towns and villages across Europe took off in the aftermath of WWII when the driving force was a shared history and a desire to forge bonds of friendship and help each other get going again. 

The bonds forged have lasted well in most cases, however these days the motives for joining a local twinning association are as much about affordable and enriching ways to travel, especially for young families keen to introduce their children to other cultures, languages, and friends.

“We were a little nervous about joining Twinning,” says Kate McAlpine of the Kingsteignton Twinning Association who are twinned with Orbec in Normandy, “but we now feel that as a family it is one of the best things we have done. 

“Our Twinning family are now lifelong friends and we have created wonderful memories on our Twinning trips that as a family we cherish,” she says.

Each association organises trips to and from its twin – giving members the chance to both visit and host.

This September the Newton Abbot Twinning Association is hiring a private bus which will leave Newton Abbot, making stops for members in Kingsteignton and Exeter before heading across the channel for a night in Bruges, before rolling through the French and German countryside to their twin town of Besigheim, for the bi-annual Winzerfest (Wine Festival) where host families will put everyone up free of charge.

Secretary Doug Tomkins describes Besigheim as the loveliest medieval wine town, standing at the confluence of the Rivers Neckar and Enz. It is surrounded by steep vineyards and beautiful half-timbered buildings adorn the streets.

“These festivals are great fun. There are groups and bands from all over including Belgium, Italy, Hungary and friends from our other twin town of Ay, Champagne will be there too.”

When asked whether knowledge of a European language is important Brenda Kite from the Exeter Twinning Circle says “No, absolutely not!”.  Her association is twinned with Rennes in France, Bad Homburg in Germany and Terracina in Italy.

There will always be lots of people around who speak English or who can translate – and that’s part of the experience. You might not know any languages when you first take part but you will definitely have a few words when you get back.

The Exeter Twinning Circle also has a trip planned later this year to their twin city Bad Homburg, on the southern slopes of the Taunus mountains.

Brenda says it’s not just the individual and family exchanges that are so fulfilling.  The twinning associations also encourage cultural exchanges.

“Introducing organisations to their counterparts in our twin cities is an important part of our activities. We’ve had many successful exchanges involving the Exeter Music Group, Exeter Flying Club, Exeter Camera Club, Exeter Rowing Club, Exeter Festival Chorus and many more,” she says.

If you’d like to join your local twinning association, most have websites and can be found with a quick online search. Alternatively, the secretary of umbrella group Devon Twinning Circle will put you in touch. They can be reached via the current secretary, Jenny Worsfold on jenworsfold@tiscali.co.uk or at 
www.devontwinningcircle.com/contact-us