FORDINGBRIDGE will celebrate its 25th anniversary of twinning with Vimoutiers in Normandy next month with celebrations for the town's special guests from France, Germany and Belgium.

Around 30 visitors are expected from Vimoutiers, as well as others from Sontra in Germany and Chatelet in Belgium, which are also twinned with the French town.

Celebrations will take place over the weekend of July 21-22 when the guests will attend a special reception in the Town Hall with Hyde band offering the entertainment as they did 25 years ago.

The visitors will then be taken to Breamore House and Countryside Museum before enjoying an evening of country dancing at Hyde Village Hall.

On the Sunday at 9.30am there will be a parish communion and twinning service at St Mary's Parish Church in Fordingbridge.

The Fordingbridge Twinning Association wished to express thanks to all the host families who are accommodating guests.

Six members of the Association recently visited Sontra, which was celebrating its 35th anniversary of twinning with Vimoutiers.

Fordingbridge town clerk and Chairman of the Fordingbridge Twinning Association, Helen Tague, said: "The hospitality we received from friends we have made was second to none and we were taken to many beautiful places, Gottingen, Fulda and Erfurt to name three of them."

Although Fordingbridge itself is not twinned with Sontra, Helen and the other Fordingbridge representatives took part in a rifle shooting contest and the wife of the Twinning Associations president, Margaret Bailey, won the ladies competition.

At a European evening held in Sontra, Fordingbridge and Vimoutiers were presented with a framed drawing of the town hall and market place of Sontra and a miner's lamp as mementoes of their visit.

At the Twinning AGM on May 24, president of the Twinning Association Dennis Bailey proposed that Fordingbridge should explore the possibility of a twinning arrangement with Sontra and he said he would welcome any comments or views.

It has been mooted previously but the travelling distance was thought to be too much but a new flight is now available that makes the journey considerably shorter.

Any comments or suggestions should be made to Helen Tague at Fordingbridge Town Hall on 01425 654134.