FORTY-three people have led the way on Callington's first twinning visit to the new twin town of Barsbüttel in northern Germany. The twinners' visit coincided with Barsbüttel's celebrations for the 777th anniversary of the town's charter so there were plenty of activities built into the programme. After an initial introduction to the town and a guided visit to the other three communities which together form the area covered by their town council, the twinners were taken on a tour of Hamburg, much of it well off the usual well-beaten tourist trail. On the Saturday most of the group attended the 'Sommerfest' – similar in many ways to Gala Day – which gave the group the opportunity to meet up with their German hosts as well as visitors from Keila, Barsbüttel's Estonian twin town. In the evening a son et lumière was visited in Planten un Blomen, Hamburg's famous botanical gardens. On Sunday, after an inter-denominational church service with readings in English, German, Estonian and French (there were also friends there from Guipavas), organisations met up for the traditional Sommerfest parade through the streets of Barsbüttel, with the Callington contingent certainly making its mark. The official signing of the twinning charters on German soil followed when portreeve Denise Winfindale and twinning association chairman Sue Lumley represented Callington in the presence of Dagmar Henning, chairman of the Barsbüttel Twinning Association, Arno Kowalski, Mayor of Barsbüttel, and the British Consul General for Hamburg. Cornish voices were flexed in a hearty rendition of Trelawny to mark the occasion in true Cornish spirit. The final event was the celebratory meal held in the secondary school. A spokesman said: 'There have been many occasions in the past when friends from Callington and Barsbüttel have met up but there can scarcely have been a time when the atmosphere was so convivial. It certainly bodes well for the future of twinning between the two towns.'
