Shrewsbury's Dutch twin town link will not be forgotten
An official link between a Shropshire town and its Dutch counterpart may be ending, but a group from Shrewsbury today said they are determined that the relationship should not cease.
Since it was announced that Shrewsbury would no longer be twinned with Zutphen, people have been reminiscing about the partnership.
The history of Shrewsbury's partnership with Zutphen stretches back hundreds of years, but Dutch authorities took the decision last week to end their decades-long link with Shropshire's county town.
Sir Philip Sydney was born in Kent in 1554 but lived in Shrewsbury, before being sent by Queen Elizabeth under the forces of the Earl of Leicester to defeat the Spanish army that defended Zutphen from the rebels.
The Spanish sent a relief column and on September 22 1586 the British attempted to intercept and defeat it.
The British had to retreat after suffering huge losses, one being Sir Philip Sidney, who was the Earl of Leicester's nephew. He died on October 17 1586 in a house in Arnheim and the battle was lost.
Exchanges
Fast forward nearly 400 years and Shrewsbury once again was linked with the Dutch city.
During the Second World War, Zutphen was invaded by the Germans. There was widespread destruction and people suffered unimaginably.
After the war, the authorities in Shrewsbury sent tonnes of aid to the city and also organised host trips for children who had been affected by the conflict.
The first Zutphen twinning party arrived in July 1947 and was made up of 115 children.
They enjoyed a number of events including a party at the castle and were made welcome by dozens of host families.
Over the years the two authorities have enjoyed numerous exchanges.
From brass bands, cadets and football teams, an enduring relationship was created.
Richard Griffiths, who now lives in China, was a member of the Shropshire Schools County Brass Band.
In the early 1980s, under the leadership of conductor Michael, the band visited Zutphen for a week.
Richard said: "I was 13 at the time and played percussion. We were warmly welcomed by host families and played concerts in numerous venues around the town.
"The tours were the highlight of the year and more interesting than school exchanges because we were there to contribute something.
"As well as being enjoyable, trips like this staying with host families immersed us in different cultures more than any package holiday at the time could do.
"These cultural exchanges were special events. Whether twinning has any meaning today, I don't know. But 35 years ago, Shropshire schoolchildren certainly benefitted."
Kelvin Sirrell, who lives in Flintshire, played football against the team from Zutphen when they visited Shropshire in 1978. "There was fantastic camaraderie," he recalled.
Lorraine Fletcher from the For The Love of Shrewsbury facebook page is organising a trip to the city. She said: "The link was lovely.
"A few of us started chatting about it at the beginning of the year, I think we would have got there eventually. It’s sad the twinning is no longer in place, but would still be nice to see the place Shrewsbury was twinned with."
Former Shrewsbury mayor Beverley Baker visited Zutphen last year. She said: "I am working with a Zutphen artist to try and set up a weekend of talks about Philip Sidney so we can keep a connection."
Like Shrewsbury, Zutphen was at one time within the loop of two rivers. And as here, a number of landmarks within the city bear it's twins' name. There is a Shrewsbury roundabout like there is a Zutphen Square here.
Helen Ball, Shrewsbury Town Council's clerk, hosted families who came here from the Netherlands. She also visited Zutphen on a number of occasions.
Informative
Recalling her time there she said that the visits were informative and educational and forged a strong alliance between Shrewsbury and Zutphen.
"It is a shame that this has now ended," she said. "But hopefully we will be able to keep in touch."
Robert-Jan Bax, senior communications advisor for the municipality of Zutphen, said that relations between the Netherlands and Shropshire would continue despite the official twinning ending.
He said: "The municipality of Zutphen has stopped the city ties. The town twinning can exist without municipal involvement.
"The ties often also arise from relationships that exist between residents, schools and associations. We have seen for years that a little interpretation can be given to these ties."
