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LITA celebrates 30 years of twinning
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 Vitré
 Mosbach
 Almansa
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A programme of special celebrations during the first week of June 2011
marked the 30th Anniversary of Lymington Twinning with its first twin town, Vitré (in Brittany).
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Ninety visitors from the twin towns were be hosted by LITA members. Activities included a day trip to the IoW, a Civic Reception hosted by the Mayor, and a Gala Dinner at the Beaulieu Hotel Lyndhurst. Representatives from local voluntary organisations will joined their counterparts from the twin towns for an International Conference on Volunteering.
A “Four Towns Twinning Exhibition” was on display from at Lymington Community Centre offering the general public the opportunity to discover Lymington’s twin towns in the three countries. It also gave tantalising glimpses of the fun to be had through participating in twinning exchanges, and of the history of LITA (the Lymington & District International Twinning Association). The Vitré link arose from concerts given in its church in the 1970’s by the Lymington Choral Society. A Charter signed in 1981 by the then Mayors formalised a bond of friendship between the two towns which would, through exchange visits, enable people to experience each others’ lifestyles and cultures. As the Twinning Association grew, membership expanded to include residents of the surrounding area, and links with Almansa and Mosbach were established in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Since then LITA has grown, now having around 120 members who enjoy visits to and from the people of our twin towns. Longstanding personal friendships have been established, and a generation of children benefited from the school exchanges which were set up. The Lymington Arts Festival carried on the theme of “Linkage” to reflect and celebrate the Twinning Anniversary and artists from our twin towns brought works to display as part of the Festival. |
* More photographs
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Lymington International Twinning Association
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