Council staff take part in twinning exchange visit to Marl

Trainee Engineer Jason Kelly and Engineering Project Co-ordinator Tricia Wilson spent a few days in Pendle’s twin town exchanging information on urban development, including cycling and culture.

Tricia said: “It was interesting to compare notes with what we are working on as part of Accessible Nelson – one of the Nelson Town Deal projects.

“Marl is in an industrial area of Germany. It has a declining mining industry as Pendle has a declining textile industry and so we were able to see and experience similarities between the two areas.

“We packed an awful lot into our few days, including visiting an area similar to our Accessible Nelson scheme; being taken on a tour of the town to see its very impressive cycle infrastructure and attended lectures in German in gender inclusive regeneration and producing a Marl town app.

“We were also shown the renovation work taking place at the town hall, a music school built in the 1960s, old mining buildings and the local theatre.

“It was a very interesting and informative visit and we look forward to providing the same when Marl Council staff – René Lankeit, Arts and Culture Officer, and Björn Anders, Town Planning Officer - come to Pendle in March.”

The Mayor of Pendle, Councillor Brian Newman, said: “Tricia and Jason had a very interesting and productive visit and have returned to Pendle with plenty of ideas for our projects.

“We look forward to welcoming René and Björn in March to show them all that Pendle has to offer.”

The Mayor of Marl wrote in a letter afterwards: “It was my honour and pleasure to have Tricia and Jason visit us in Marl. 

“It was valuable to hear about the different approaches and solutions, and to share knowledge between us as twin towns.”