A group of 25 visitors from Burnham-On-Sea’s twin town in Germany have bid farewell at the end of their first visit to the UK for five years due to the pandemic.
The group from Fritzlar headed back to Germany on Friday morning (May 12th) following a successful three-day visit in which they were welcomed by local host families and residents.
After visits to local attractions including Wells, Street and the local area, they enjoyed a gala meal at The Batch Hotel in Lympsham on Thursday (May 11th) attended by the Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard and other local dignitaries, pictured below.
Cllr Millard and her deputy Cllr Sharon Perry had met the group when they arrived at a formal Mayor’s reception held at The Princess Theatre on Tuesday (May 9th).
The group stayed with host families across Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge as part of a long-running tradition that only temporarily stopped five years ago due to the pandemic.
The twinning society’s secretary Gillian Lyne said the visits every two years prior to the pandemic had been going for over 30 years.
She told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The exchange visits between Burnham and Fritzlar began in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down and so many friendships have been formed in the years since. It’s wonderful to welcome our Fritzlar friends back again.”
Marlies Heer, the leader of the Fritzlar group, added: “We are delighted to be back in Burnham for the first time since 2018 due to the pandemic. We always get such a warm welcome and love Burnham and the surrounding area.”
Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard, who welcomed the group in German, said she is “thrilled to welcome the group back to the town,” and added that she looks forward to visiting the town in Germany on a return visit next year.
A German flag was flown in their honour this week on Burnham’s main flag pole next to the fountain in Old Station Approach. Fritzlar is a historic town in the German region of Hessen.
Pictured: The visit underway this week (Photos Burnham-On-Sea.com & Mike Lang)
