20/06/12…….Thame’s second twin town a step closer

THAME’S budding relationship with a town in Romania will soon be a formal twinning arrangement, when the Mayor of Thame signs a Twinning Charter.

Thame Town Council voted on Tuesday evening (19 June) to give permission to the Mayor, Nigel Champken Woods, to sign the Twinning Charter with the town of Sinaia in Romania.

Marius Ciortan, Secretary of Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association, said: “This is great news for the people and local groups of Thame. The Twinning with Sinaia will create opportunities for various local organisations and segments of the Thame population to establish new links and friendships. There will also be opportunities for Thame?s local groups and organisations to access EU funds for various people exchange projects with specific aims and objectives.”

BACKGROUND

Marius explained: “In 2,007 a number of local residents approached the then Mayor to suggest that Thame should have links with an Eastern European country as well as with Western Europeans such as Montesson in France.

“I became involved through Thame Rotary. My wife Zoe and I suggested the Romanian town of Sinaia as a possible link, as it is a nice town and about the same size as Thame.”

An approach was made to the Mayor of Sinaia to see if they were interested in forming a link. Their enthusiasm for a link with the UK was immediate and a small delegation from Thame visited Sinaia in 2009, followed six months later by a visit from Sinaia to Thame.

The Sinaia Friendship Association was formed as a result of these visits in July 2010. TSFA currently has 13 full members and another 40 associate members and has been fundraising for the past years to enable them to offer hospitality to visitors from Sinaia. Current assets are in the region of