THE Mayor of Salisbury was given the freedom of Saintes during a recent trip to mark the 25th anniversary of formal twinning between the two cities.

Cllr Jo Broom was invited by the Mayor of Saintes, Jean-Philippe Machon, to plant a magnolia tree marking the signing of the twinning document in Saintes in July 1990.

Also present was Thomas Görtz, the mayor of Xanten, Germany which is twinned with Saintes as well as Salisbury.

Cllr Broom was accompanied by a group of members of the Salisbury Saintes Twinning Association and by four lace-makers who demonstrated their art while there.

After her visit, she said: “I am convinced of the mutual benefits of twinning and feel sure that, with the right support and encouragement, a number of businesses in Salisbury and the surrounding area can profit from commercial opportunities in Saintes itself and the Charente-Maritime.”

For the next few months, Saintes is hosting an exhibition tracing 25 years of twinning with Salisbury — showing photographs of Salisbury’s attractions.

It has been arranged by members of Saintes Salisbury Amitiés under the chairmanship of Bridget Brennan.

As part of the celebrations the town is decorated with posters and banners and three eye-catching larger-than-life traditional red telephone boxes.