Frome mayor travels to German town for 40 years of twinning celebrations

THE mayor of Frome and his wife travelled to Murr-hardt in Germany for the 40 Years of Twinning celebrations, which took place over the weekend of September 8th to 10th.

Cllr Philip Campagna and his wife Karin joined a delegation from Frome travelling to Murrhardt, which is in the Rems-Murr District in Baden-Württenberg. It has a population of almost 15,000 and is approximately 30 miles north-east of Stuttgart.

“Frome has been twinned with Murrhardt since 1983,” says the mayor. “This initiative came about from the people who were involved with the twin town of Château-Gontier in France, which has been twinned with Frome since 1975. The suggestion that Frome should twin with Murrhardt came from the French town.

“From the start, the partnership has had the commitment from the mayors, the town councils and the twinning associations.”

“Dorothea Mayer and Waltraud Schmalz from Murrhardt first visited Frome at Easter 1981. It was following this visit that the Murrhardt Town Council and interested people organised a trip to Frome in the autumn of 1981.

“In 1982, a music group visited Frome and was followed by Lillian Maggs’ music group and Frome Youth Choir visiting Murrhardt.

“The exchange paved the way for Frome and Murrhardt to sign the Partnership Agreement in Frome in 1983. This new partnership saw a number of exchanges facilitated by Frome Twinning Association between choirs, schools and sports clubs.”

Many people involved then are still in communication now. Klaus Lang, was one of those involved. He said, “In 1982, I travelled to Frome for the first time as a supervisor of Waltroud’s Flöten. My impressions were very positive and a friendship with a family that lasted 40 years. We are still in contact today.”

Murrhardt’s mayor Armin Mößner, said, “Over the years, the student exchanges have diminished and no longer take place. Brexit and Covid have had a negative impact. The town of Murrhardt has tried to reactivate an exchange programme in recent years, but without success. But now a middle school in Frome has reintroduced German as a foreign language, which may lead to new opportunities.”

Murrhardt Town Council’s officer for economy, culture and tourism, Thomas Zeeb said, “Personal encounters are now more difficult because of passport and visa requirements. We hope for an upswing in relationships with Frome through mayor cllr Philip Campagna, who is a real advocate for the partnership.”

During their visit to Murrhardt, the mayor and his wife were joined by Margaret Brulais, Frome Twinning Association and Susan Withew, former Frome Town Council clerk, at the welcome reception at the town hall on the Friday evening. This was followed by a tour of the Streetfood Fest in the market square.

On Saturday morning, the two mayors attended the opening of a community football team at a local club. Plans were also discussed for Frome Town United youth teams to take part in a football tournament in Murrhardt in July 2025.

The ceremony, 40 Years of the Frome – Murrhardt Partnership, was held later that morning, with speeches from both mayors.

“I delivered my speech in German, being a fluent German speaker, which was greatly appreciated by those attending,” says cllr Philip Campagna, who presented Mayor Armin Mößner with a bath Blue Glass Bowl with the inscription Frome 40  Murrhardt. He also presented mayor Mößner with a personal gift of a bottle of Frome distilled gin.

The Frome delegation was treated to the final concert of the International Piano Academy in the evening. On Sunday morning they were invited to take part in the commemoration of Day of the Homeland, which took place in the park.

Cllr Philip Campagna said, “The celebrations have shown me how special and strong the partnership is between our two towns. It has been an absolute pleasure to meet so many people with such strong links to Frome.

“We will now work together to build new and exciting partnerships that will strengthen existing links and engage young people in both our towns.”