A PARTY to celebrate a decade since the twinning of two towns united by the horrors of the Second World War has proved a great success.

A group of Llanbedr councillors travelled to Huchenfeld, near Stuttgart, to commemorate a decade since the official twinning ceremony.

Hundreds of schoolchildren have travelled to and from Germany on educational trips over the last 15 years in a bid to encourage understanding and tolerance.

The friendship developed after John Wynne of Llanbedr, a former RAF Wing Commander, presented a Welsh rocking horse to the village as a symbol of hope in the mid-1990s.

Wing Commander Wynne lost his aircrew in Huchenfeld after they were killed by the Nazis and Pforzheim, near the German town, was devastated by bombing raids.

Chair of Llanbedr Community Council Kevin Titley, who travelled to south Germany over the weekend, was pleased to reinforce the links between Llanbedr and Huchenfeld.

“The delegation from Llanbedr received a warm welcome from Frau Sabine Wagner, the mayor of Huchenfeld, and from the Freundeskreis Wales club,” he said.

“We had a very enjoyable visit as the people of Huchenfeld were very hospitable and had arranged a busy schedule of activities for us. We also agreed on some priorities to take the twinning relationship forward.

“Frau Wagner was presented with a present from Llanbedr to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the twinning and was also given a greetings card made by the children of Ysgol Gynradd Llanbedr that was signed by each child.”

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