Should Alderley Edge be twinned?

I think it's a brilliant idea. I spent many summers when I was growing up on exchange visits due to a twinning arrangement.

France is obviously my first thought as it was these exchange visits that started me on the path to a language course but with Manchester Airport on the doorstep and so many flights available the world is our oyster!

Don't think Monte Carlo / Monaco is twinned with anywhere, just a thought!

I used to live in Stockport and we were twinned with 2 other towns, Beziers in France and Heilbronn in Germany and to be honest I don't remember any links between us other than just having them mentioned on the welcome signs. But that does not mean I think its a bad idea, as long as the residents have a say and we can have a good discussion about it i'm all for it, I'm putting in a early suggestion for the German market town Rothenburg ob der Tauber, wouldn't mind going there on a fact finding mission!

To Dominic's point - I grew up in Stockport too and did indeed take part in an Inter European Athletics meeting in 1980-something!
The pupils from Heilbronn ans Beziers visited Stockport and we all ran around Woodbank Park in the rain! I would have preferred it if they had have held the games.

I think it's a good thing, so we are looking at a small town or big village with 4,000-5,000 people in it on the edge of a town or city - easy !

I always see twinning as just a excuse for a jolly for council managers, and we all pay for them to have a holiday in France every other year.

If it could be arranged without any council worker getting a payed holiday, and it not costing too much, then yes, it may well be a good idea.

This would be a great opportunity for councillors to make fact finding visits .
Also as councillor Herald . who posted this news and discussion topic , said "Of course, twinning doesn’t have to be with only one other place."

David and Craig are right to voice the concern of jolly trips for councillors. Perhaps twinning should be with a village in the third world where it could make a difference to both villages.

Craig & David... would I like to go on an all-expenses-paid jolly? Darn right I would... will it ever happen? Darn right it won't! Parish Councilors are whiter-than-white, transparent, Caeser's wife!

Kirsteen... France sounds good... any places to suggest? South/Sun?

David... what can Rothenburg give us?

Fenton... will enough A/E people want to go to a place such as you have in mind? If enough people say yes, then why not?

I believe that there are organisations that can advise/help with twinning? Does anyone know about such?

By the way... long ago when I used to go to 'play' near Beziers, I recall that they were aware of Stockport e.g. you could buy S/K College T-shirts in Beziers... is it possible that other countries take the twinning thing more to heart than 'we' do?

I did write above that we prob. wouldn't twin with a large city, but I take Jon's point that we could twin with a village on the edge of a large place ('they' might see us as just an adjunct to M/C?).

More comments please; I'll email my colleagues and ask them to read all the above.
Perhaps you could all sound out your friends/colleagues who live in places which you think would be good to twin with?

It can't be easy finding somewhere in France to match Stockport's ambience and cache but in Beziers, the council did a splendid job. I thought Aldelrey was already twinned internationally...with Abersoch!

Just don't suggest Épernay - it's been tried. They have a waiting list!
I'd suggest a village in Normandy. I have good links with numerous Mairies and am sure we should get an enthusiastic response (and they could use their their Euros slush funds coming to spend money with us!).

I quite agree with Matthew.Abersoch has a major common factor with Alderley.
The number of people with unatural orange variations of skin tone!

Poynton's twinning has just been set up - with a town in Transylvania! so if you want to find out how to do it, get in touch with Poynton Town Council.

I am French and living in Alderley. I think it is a good idea. If you need help to set up the whole thing with a French town please let me know. I come from Annecy (Haute-Savoie), a beautiful large town. I know of a few smaller villages on the outskirt of the town.

Can I have a free holiday on the tax payer too please?

What a coincidence, Sandrine! I read this piece last night and immediately thought of Annecy, where I visited on a French exchange for three weeks when I was 13. It really is a beautiful place.

No Giles you can't as you're not an M.P. !

Sandrine; thank you for being positive...where had you in mind exactly?

Do none of the local private schools not have connections with other villages (in France) already?? Could that connection not be expanded??

My sons shared several exchanges with German families when Macclesfield was twinned with Schleswig Holstein particularly during their international music festivals. Great fun.

Annecy would be wonderful, especially as there are regular flights from M/C to Geneva. However, with the poor euro exchange rate and for more cultural diversity and stimulation how about somewhere in Morocco or sub Sahara,( but don't ask me to organise it). Good luck to those who do.

Duncan, I am not too sure. There are a few towns on the outskirts of Annecy that could be good candidates. Veyrier for instance is lovely, there is also Doussard, Talloires, Duingt, Saint-Jorioz, Sevrier, just to name a few, although I am pretty sure that some of them are already twinned.

I used to work near Bezier and where its a really nice town, there is a perfect little place called Pezenas that would be ideal to be twinned with AE. It may already be twinned though as it is a gorgeous town.

Some interesting background on town-twinning from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_towns_and_sister_cities

Personally I have failed to see any tangible benefit from it, it's been positioned in the past as an opportunity for cultural exchange etc but rarely have I seen it achieve such benefits.

However 'if' it's cost neutral in these dire economic climes I guess it can do no harm. If it drains budgets and is an excuse for 'jollies' abroad, I think it's a luxury we could do without.

Certainly at the moment.

I thought that we were already twinned with Old Trafford Football ground we have so many who have joint residency!

Twinning is a personal preference - anyone who goes on a trip abroad, pays for their own travel and all expenses. It is not a freebie on the rates.

I think it can be an interesting way to see other places, and Alderley Edge has much to offer. I like the idea of a nice French village, preferably near Sancerre, Duncan, if you can get Sandrine to organise it.

Hi Everyone,
This twinning stuff kind of went on the back burner for a while... apologies... got bogged down with parking/residents' permits/highways stuff. not to mention the perennial Medical Centre hopes.

Recap time... several suggestions from you all... some a tad tongue-in-cheek?

Suggestions so far are: Monte Carlo, Rothenburk ob der Tauber, somewhere with 4-5,000 people, France, a Normandy Village, Annecy (or a small village on the outskirts of), Morrocco (please send me on a fact-finding visit to Richard Branson's place there! please! It would be stressful, but I'd do it just for you!), Pezenas (near Bezier?) and Sancerre area.

I'll try to get on with this a bit... in the meantime, any further places to suggest?