A DELEGATION from Malvern visited Bagnères-de-Bigorre in south-west France at the weekend to seal the relationship between the towns.

Under the banner of Le Big Weekend, Bagnères celebrated its simultaneous twinning with Malvern and with Inverurie in north-east Scotland.

Over 200 people attended the signing ceremony at the town hall and the tribute at the Bagnères War Memorial, and Saturday evening’s Friendship Night at the Carrè Py Hotel was a sell-out success, with 250 paying guests attending.

The Malvern delegation was led by mayor Cynthia Palmer, accompanied by Graham Dimmock representing the Malvern Bagnères Twinning Association and the recently formed Friends of Bagnère-de-Bigorre.

At the signing ceremony Councillor Palmer spoke of the importance of helping local businesses to profit from twinning. Her speech was followed by the reading of the twinning oath by pupils from the local lycée.

Mr Dimmock said he hoped that social, sporting and cultural exchanges would help to foster greater understanding between people in a troubled world. The remembrance ceremony included performances of the British and French national anthems by the towns' combined choirs, including the celebrated Chanteurs Montagnards.

To mark the twinning, Malvern’s Friday Beer Company created a new French-style lager called Bagnères Bière Blonde. Made with spring water from Holy Well in Malvern Wells and French hops, it is aimed at both the UK and French markets.

Friday Beer's Gerald Williams and Perry Jackson took the opportunity to talk with local distributors and hoteliers, several of whom wanted to place immediate orders.

The weekend was also strongly supported by Morgan Cars. James Ball of Morgan’s MOG magazine joined the Malvern team , driving a car loaned by Morgan’s Toulouse dealership Marcassus Sport.

Chris Hatton, principal of Marcassus, led the Toulouse Morgan Owners’ Club in a weekend outing to Bagnères, where the cars formed a motorcade through the towns. More than a dozen Morgans were in town and they were all driven into the ballroom of the Carrè Py hotel to form the focal point for the evening’s dinner.

Cllr Palmer said: “The weekend was a tremendous success and acquaintanceships that were initiated earlier in the year in Malvern have now been cemented into lasting friendship.”

Mr Dimmock said:“A year ago the, twinning project was just an idea. We have worked hard this weekend to move successfully from the start-up phase to the operational phase of the project.

"We are lucky to have found such a great match for Malvern in Bagnères-de-Bigorre. The energy in Bagnères is impressive and we hope that the people of Malvern will also take a look at the opportunities that exist for all forms of contact with our friends in France."