Workington - Verein zur Förderung der Städtepartnerschaft

Verein zur Förderung der Städtepartnerschaften der Stadt Selm e.V. - Workington - Verein zur Förderung der Städtepartnerschaft

Workington

 
Workington is an old port and industrial town in the north-west of England in Cumbria, situated on the Irish Sea at the mouth of the Derwent. Traces of coal mining and the importance of the steel industry can still be seen in the townscape today.

The nearby Lake District invites you to hike in beautiful mountain and lake scenery and is one of the most popular destinations in England. The famous poet Wordsworth was born in the neighbouring town of Workington, Cockermouth, and buried in Grasmere. The Honister Pass is the highest pass road in England (gradient 30%) and many beautiful places invite you to visit.

The border country between England and Scotland looks back on a lively past. Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans as a border fortification against the Scots, Mary Stuart spent her last night in freedom in Curwen Hall in Workington and stone settings such as the Castlerigg Stonecircle near Keswick point to prehistoric settlement in the area. In addition to the port of Workington, the ports of Maryport and Whitehaven are also known. In the days of the great sailing ships, overseas vessels to the colonies departed from here.

Cumbrian, a language related to Gaelic, was once spoken in Cumbria.
 
The people of Workington, like those of Selm, have experienced the change from agricultural land to industrialisation. The ups and downs of mining and the steel industry have left their mark. The bond of experience has developed into friendship between the inhabitants of the two towns.

The town twinning between Selm and Workingron has existed since 1994 and since then a lively exchange of young people from clubs, schools and cultural groups such as choirs and orchestras has developed, in some cases with lasting links.

Workington has about 24,000 inhabitants.

Historie

Selm and Workington


CEMR (Council of European Municipalities and Regions), to which both towns had registered their interest in a German-British partnership, sent an enquiry from Workington to the town of Selm in October 1992.

Through the then head of the Selm Municipal Cultur. The first meeting was organised in Selm in May 1993 through the then Head of the Selm Municipal Cultural Office and a teacher from Workington. The delegation of four from Workington had other towns on their list, but at the end of the visit it was clear: Selm and Workington were meant for each other.

At the beginning of the friendship, the members of the delegation mastered tests of a very special kind: in Selm a sightseeing flight over the town, in Workington a ride on the Lifeboat

Mayor Inge Hamann and Town Clerk Peter Vaerst for Selm and Mayors Peter Bales (in Selm) and Anne Ferguson (in Workington) signed the twinning certificates on 30 April 1994 in the Selm Community Centre and on 27 May 1994 in Curwen Hall in Workington. For many host families, the first contact was also the beginning of a lasting friendship.

Since 1995 there has been an exchange between Stainburn School in Workington and Selm Grammar School. Especially the orchestras of both schools visited each other regularly. This is how lasting friendships developed between young people from England and Germany.

Since 2003, there has been a lively exchange of primary school pupils from Overbergschule Selm with Ashfield Junior School and Northside Junior School in Workington as well as Dearham Primary School in neighbouring Maryport, which also belongs to the Ellerdale district. The exchange of primary school children is a special feature. Here, too, lasting friendships have been established.

In the meanwhile more than 25 years of the friendly twin town, there have been many exchange trips and friendships between choirs, orchestras and youth groups. Bicycle tours have been undertaken from Selm to Workington, anniversaries have been celebrated. Almost every year a delegation from Selm went to Workington for the "Mayor Making" or took part in town festivals there. Conversely, the English friends were regular guests at many town festivals, official occasions and meetings with the other twin towns.