Friday funday: twinned

The lighter side of local government

Destination Timbuktu

What do you know about Timbuktu? Thirty-four per cent of people think it's a mythical place. And several towns in Wales want to twin with it.

Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Hay-on-Wye have all been nominated as potential partners for the city in the West African country of Mali.

Photographer Stuart Redler started the search for a new UK twin with Timbuktu after visiting the city. He said:

"I thought it would be fun to have a sign on the outside of your town saying 'Twinned with Timbuktu' and if it prompts people to go there that would be great. Everything you hear about Africa is so negative but Timbuktu is such a great place. It would be nice for people to be able to go there rather than Germany or France or somewhere like that."

But your name's on all our road signs

Does Manteo sound like a real place? Well, it is - but unfortunately it's the twin that Bideford forgot according to the Mail on Sunday.

Residents of Manteo, in the state of North Carolina, insisted they have been twinned with the North Devon town for two decades.

But a search of Bideford town hall archives has not revealed a single record of the arrangement. Manteo resident David Riley, who presented Devon officials with a commemorative clock from his town has now returned home to investigate the mix-up.

Bideford town clerk George McLauchlan said yesterday: "He seemed like a nice guy and gave me a clock. It was a very nice clock. He said he was very proud to be twinned with us and offered a sincere thanks on behalf of the town's population for representing them in the UK."

"I said thank you but had to let him down gently. It seemed even more cruel not to."

He added: "He seemed a little puzzled and said our name was on all their road signs."

Photo by Luis Lebron.

Manteo is on historic Roanoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks. I used to holiday in that area as a child. It's truly beautiful, lovely beaches and welcoming hospitality. You could do worse for a twin.

Twin registry

Curious about who your town is twinned with? Look no further than the Local Government International Bureau (LGIB) registry of twinning. Or find out more about the benefits of twindom.

Back to main page