Tunbridge Wells Twinning & Friendship Association (TWTFA)

Chairman: Michael Holman

TWTFA traces its origins back to March 1960 when four ex-servicemen from Tunbridge Wells travelled to Germany to meet their counterparts in Wiesbaden. They were keen to heal the wounds of the Second World War and to build a better world for the future. The one-time combatants discovered they spoke a common language of active reconciliation and signed a partner agreement in 1961. This was followed by a ‘Treaty of Friendship’ in 1971. In 1989 the two towns signed a Twinning Charter, displayed in Tunbridge Wells Town Hall. TWTFA enthusiastically supports the twinning link and was proud to have as its President until his death in April 2010 ex-Royal Marine Commando Tom MacAndrew – one of the four founding members, who extended the hand of friendship to Wiesbaden fifty years ago. Like Tunbridge Wells, Wiesbaden is an elegant spa town. It lies between the river Rhine and the foothills of the Taunus Mountains. Just half-an-hour from Frankfurt, it is well-placed for business and pleasure and has some 270,000 inhabitants. Since 1945 Wiesbaden has been the capital of the State of Hesse. TWTFA aims to support and nurture the links - youth, culture, sport, business - between the two towns as fully as possible. (Wiesbaden website: www.wiesbaden.de – also in English!)

TWTFA today

Membership of TWTFA is open to anybody and currently costs just £7.50 pa. Corporate membership costs £20 pa.

The Association offers all its members the following:

• A programme of social events and visits to places of interest in the UK
• Talks and discussions on topics of current international interest
• Visits to festivals and markets in Germany
• The setting up and support of links between local clubs and organisations and their counterparts in Wiesbaden.

The Association organises cultural and language activities and encourages links with other European countries as well as Germany.