In June we were pleased to welcome 44 friends from Göttingen, who incorporated three Cheltenham days into their longer tour of several English south coast resorts.
The Cheltenham days included a cream tea at Bourton on the Water, and a day trip to Oxford. In Cheltenham, members of the committee led short guided walking tours of the town centre, in both English and German. A samba workshop, led by David Walter of Ola Samba, was great fun with several friends demonstrating surprising aptitudes for the Brazilian rhythms. Other friends very much enjoyed an informative tour of Cheltenham Playhouse, ably led by Diggory Seacome, which was then followed by a Mayoral Reception at the Town Hall.
Perhaps the highlight of the visit was a splendid social evening, held at the Storyteller, which, in another example of nominative determinism, was our venue for the launch of the third book of stories by William Lewis, illustrated by the talented Göttingen artists of Kreis 34. Amongst the hundred or so guests, we were very pleased to welcome our Mayor Dr David Willingham, who has been a good supporter of our twinning and partnership activities.
All too soon the visit was over, and several Cheltenham friends made the early trip to wave off our Göttingen friends, after the traditional singing together of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Cheltenham International Partnerships 