Members of a County Durham brass band have been wowing the locals in the German city of Tubingen.
Five members of the NASUWT Riverside Band visited Tubingen – a partner town of Durham City – to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the two cities being twinned.
The band is sponsored by the NASUWT, the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers.
Every January, the mayor of Tubingen gathers together around a thousand of the town’s most prominent citizens and businesses to announce the council’s plans for the coming year.
And this year, the mayor’s plans include events to celebrate fifty years of town twinning with Durham.
Over the years, thousands of people from County Durham have travelled to Tubingen to strengthen the links between the cities, experience some German culture and encourage trade and tourism.
The manager of the NASUWT Riverside Band, Tony Thompson, said, “The quintet from the band had a fantastic time in Tubingen.”
“The mayor and the audience really appreciated the music we played and the feedback we received afterwards was tremendous.”
“We were very proud to represent the county at such an important event and be part of the celebration of 50 years twinning between the two councils.”
The cost of the band’s visit was met by Tubingen. The German city is also set to welcome other visitors from County Durham, including a youth football team, the County Big Band, and a cricket team from Parkside Academy.
Tubingen will also be visited by representatives from Durham University. Like Durham, Tubingen is a famous university town and a partnership exists between the two universities.
Guests from Tubingen will be popping over to Durham this year as well, to attend events like the Bishop Auckland Food Festival and Durham Brass Festival.
Durham City will also be hosting a day of German culture on Thursday 13th June, which members of the public are welcome to attend.
The day will include a number of events, such as a German film screening, an art exhibition, music events, storytelling and food stalls. The events will be held in the Gala Theatre and Cinema, Clayport Library and Millennium Place.
Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration, Cllr Carl Marshall, said, “County Durham has a number of twinning links with towns, cities and regions across the world, with thousands of schoolchildren and residents visiting our twinned areas and many visitors from overseas being welcomed to County Durham each year.”
“International projects like these are massively important in helping to foster friendships and improve understanding between people in different countries, developing economic links with our European partners to encourage investment in the county and helping people, particularly school pupils, to learn new skills.”
