Mayor hails "hugely successful" twin town mission

10.22.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 7th Jun 2007

A man on a mission - that was the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Cllr Marc Cranfield-Adams, who returned last week from a "hugely successful" visit to the borough's twin town of Richmond, Virginia. He was accompanied by the Leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Serge Lourie.

The two helped celebrate and strengthen the links between the two Richmonds, which were formally twinned in 1981. The visit was timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the landing of the British at the site which is now Richmond, Virginia, in 1607. It also marked the 50th anniversary of the first visit to the town by a Mayor of Richmond, R.A.J. Alcock, in 1957. Cllr Cranfield-Adams and the Council Leader had a packed itinerary. They met community, business, and government leaders, during a visit geared to strengthening economic, social, cultural and educational ties. Boosting tourism was another key aim.

Cllr Cranfield-Adams said:

"This was a hugely successful visit, part of a unique celebration which, it is hoped, will have lasting benefits for the Richmonds on both sides of the Atlantic. We have already established two joint community-based educational projects in partnership with the Thames Landscape Strategy that will run simultaneously in Richmond upon Thames and Richmond, Virginia. Also the museum in Richmond upon Thames has an exciting new exhibition detailing the links between our two communities and celebrating their twinning."