Villages to celebrate 60 years of friendship

Some of the first group to visit in 1964 have returned to Shilbottle many times over the decades

A village will welcome a group from France this summer to celebrate the anniversary of their friendship.

The first visit from residents of the French village of Héry, in the Burgundy region, to Shilbottle, in Northumberland, took place in 1964.

Over the years, there have been many visits between the two villages, which share an industrial heritage.

Gill Bray, chair of the Amicale Héry-Shilbottle Association, said the 60-year connection was "a remarkable achievement for two small villages".

"We have people who came on the first visits in the 1960s who are still part of the group, and certainly there are two or three generations of families involved on both sides," she said.

"When it first started there was a real language barrier because some didn't speak French and some didn't speak English, but they found a way."

Many generations of the same families have been involved in visits across the Channel

The friendship began in 1963 when a woman called June Raynal, who had grown up in Northumberland, married a Frenchman and settled in Héry.

She was sent in 1963 to negotiate a treaty of friendship between the two villages.

Since then, 48 exchange trips have taken place and more than 1000 people have crossed the Channel in both directions.

About 20 people will arrive on 16 July from Héry, with visits to Bamburgh Castle and the Aln Valley railway planned, as well as an anniversary lunch at Eshott Hall.

Mrs Bray said "really strong friendships" had been built over the decades.

"Families have known each other and shared their lives for 60 years and even the gap during Covid didn't seem to make any difference," she said.

"I think there will be many more trips to come in the future."