MITRY-MORY, Seine et Marne
Prudhoe has been twinned with Mitry-Mory since 1982, and links between the two towns go back even further.
Town twinning, essentially, is about friendship - creating international friendship at grassroots level. The idea arose in the aftermath of the Second World War, as a way of breaking down barriers of misunderstanding and mistrust between the peoples of Europe and beyond, by means of direct, personal contacts.
First, a few details about our twin town. Mitry-Mory is a community of around 17,000 inhabitants, to the North East of Paris, just at the point where the capital's urban sprawl gives way to open fields. It is only a few kilometres from Charles de Gaulle Airport, and is linked to the centre of Paris by a commuter railway line, as well as the historic Canal de l'Ourcq.
Mitry-Mory Town Hall
Its history goes back to Roman times, but the present town was formed in the early 19th Century by the merger of two villages, Mitry and Mory. This created the Old Town or 'Bourg', with a population then of a little over 1,500.
The 'Bourg' has great character and many fine old buildings. The late mediaeval church of St Martin houses the oldest (and arguably the finest) church organ in the whole of the Paris area, dating back to the early 17th Century.
17th Century organ in the Church of St Martin, le Bourg
In the 1920s, as demand for housing grew around the capital, the 'New Town' of Mitry-le-Neuf was developed a few kilometres to the West of the Bourg. Together the two conurbations form the present town of Mitry-Mory.
In 1971 Graeme Gilmore, then head of languages at Prudhoe Secondary School (now Prudhoe Community High School), led a school exchange trip to the Collège Paul Langevin, Mitry-Mory's secondaty school. The friendships created by this and many subsequent visits, by adults and children, led to the twinning of our two towns in 1982. The Twinning Charter was signed by William Garrett, Mayor of Prudhoe, and Noël Fraboulet, Mayor of Mitry-Mory, and the event was marked by a visit of Mitry-Mory's Second World War veterans. Prudhoe was presented with a bust of 'Marianne', the symbol of the French Republic - a similar sculpture is to be found in every French Town Hall. (Prudhoe's Marianne can be seen in the display case in the library foyer, along with other gifts and memorabilia).
Since then 1971 have been numerous exchanges - by Councillors, clubs, voluntary organizations, and many, many individuals. We aim to operate as a community activity, putting like-minded individuals and groups in touch with eachother. Recent exchanges have featured swimming, archery, our Community Bands, Mitry's Craft Markets, folk and jazz musicians.
Mitry-Mory has two other twin towns - Schmelz in Germany, and Loumbila in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Thanks to the original link we now have good contacts in both these towns - it's wonderful how friendship can spread.
October 2006: Councillor Mrs Eileen Burt, Mayor of Prudhoe, with Mme Corinne Dupont, Mayor of Mitry-Mory.
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