THE people of Malvern will be shaking hands with a little eastern promise when a delegation from the Czech Republic arrives to formally agree a twinning deal.

Malvern Twinning Association will host five officials from the town of Marianske Lazne (formerly Marienbad) – which is also famed by its countrymen as the source of very fine spring water.

The officials, including mayor Dzenek Kral, will be visiting Malvern from Thursday, October 18, until Saturday, October 20, Mr Kral and Malvern’s own mayor, Councillor Ian Hopwood, will officially sign a scroll affirming the partnership between the two towns.

The twinning association has spent more than two years laying the groundwork to get an agreement.

It is hoped the symbolic agreement will help establish “a new reciprocal relationship of spa heritage and culture” and encourage goodwill and co-operation in tourism, education, sport and other areas.

During the visit, the Czech delegates will visit the Morgan factory, Malvern Hills Science Park, the town’s museum, priory and Malvern Theatres.

The visit represents the culmination of several years of efforts, started originally by Malvern Civic Society, which formed Malvern Twinning Association to push the venture further.

In April last year, a party from Malvern visited Marianske Lazne and a return visit took place in November.

Mark Young, of the twinning association, said: “This is a major step forward for the twinning process and we are very much looking forward to it. “One thing that’s important to say is that taxpayers’ money is not being spent on this.

“The town council is involved with this, but is not providing funds.”

Links have been developed with Marianske Lazne because the town, like Malvern, has a history as a spa town.

It is not far from Graffenberg, where Vincent Priessnitz pioneered hydrotherapy treatments in the 1820s.

His example inspired Dr James Wilson to start the Malvern water cure.