Brecon Town Twinning
Bonds of friendship with America, France and Nepal
Dhampus - Nepal
A delegation of 23 people from Brecon, including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, five Town Councillors,
and the Town Clerk, travelled to Nepal on 5th February to complete the Twinning of Brecon, Powys,
Wales, with Dhampus, Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality, Nepal.
The signing and exchange of the Twinning Oath took place in front of a huge turnout of residents,
framed by the magnificent backdrop of the Himalayas, and an afternoon and evening of cultural
entertainment and celebration followed.
Plans are now underway to celebrate the new Twinning in Brecon on 9th June, on the same day as
the annual Gurkha Parade.
A new Brecon/Dhampus Twinning Association has been set up and if you would like to be involved
please contact the Town Clerk.
Gouesnou - Brittany, France
The name ‘Gouesnou’ has originated from that of Saint Gouesnou. The Parish of Gouesnou, which boasts an impressive Monastery which sits prominently in the centre of the town. In addition to the monastery the town holds very famous town fairs which are considered to be the most important in Brittany.
With nearly 13,000 inhabitants the population of Gouesnou has doubled in the past 50 years. It supports a rich community atmosphere supporting a range of social, cultural and sporting events.
In 1988, Brecon entered into a twinning association with Gouesnou. The aim of this association is to promote strong social, cultural, artistic and sporting links with our twin town of Gouesnou in Brittany, France. The Brecon/Gouesnou Twinning Association encourages individual, family and group visits, staying with host families as this makes for greater understanding of another country’s way of life and is open to anyone who wishes to experience this type of exchange. Each year there is one large group visit and one smaller visit.
Saline City - Michigan, USA
The small communities of Brecon and Saline formed the first Welsh-American sister city relationship in 1966. The bonds between the two towns have grown into a close and active friendship and expanded far beyond a mere relationship between government officials. Over 4,000 trips have been made by residents of these two communities to share their cultures and their families. In 1989 volunteers of the Saline community joined together to establish the Saline-Brecon Friendship Guild Ltd. With the mission of promoting the partnership further.
History
Saline is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,034.
The city is southwest of the City of Ann Arbor and Northwest of the City of Milan, where the U.S. 12 Michigan Avenue intersects the Saline River, a tributary of the River Raisin. The city is bounded on the southwest by Saline Township; on the southeast by York Charter Township; on the northeast by Pittsfield Charter Township; and on the northwest by Lodi Township. The city is popular for its annual Celtic Festival, which is known to attract people from all over the United States. It is the hometown of the Saline Fiddlers and the Fiddlers Restrung, two nationally renowned high school bluegrass/fiddle groups.
