The Twinning Association Working on behalf of Royston Town Council, the association organises and manages the town twinning activities in Royston and the surrounding villages.
Royston has three twin towns.
- Großalmerode, in Germany
- La Loupe, in France
- Villanueva de la Cañada, in Spain
The twinning link with Germany has been in place since 1974.
2026 has been a busy year so far for us, with visits and trips to our three twin towns in France, Germany and Spain with more planned this autumn.
In March we hosted a party of twenty school students and their teachers from our German twin town Großalmerode. This annual event enables young people typically 15-17 years from the local school ValentinTraudt Schule to develop their English skills and intercultural understanding. Hosted by families in Royston and the surrounding area, these young people were able to experience English family life and the delights of this part of the world.
In May a group of twenty twinners set off for Royston’s French twin town La Loupe to celebrate our 40th anniversary of twinning with them. Existing friendships were rekindled as well as new ones forged. An exciting programme of collaborative activities such as mural-making and boating meant there was something for everyone to get involved with. Plans are already afoot to celebrate with our French friends again next year!
Also in May, a small group travelled to our Spanish twin town Villanueva de la Cañada celebrating 15 years of twinning. This year Royston celebrated fifteen years of twinning with its Spanish counterpart town of Villanueva de la Cañada in the Community of Madrid, with visits to and from Spain to celebrate this partnership and to experience each other’s culture and gastronomy, staying with local hosts. Most recently in August a small group from the Spanish Twin Town visited for a weekend in Royston, where they enjoyed a visit to Royston Cave (with commentary in Spanish), punting in Cambridge, English afternoon tea, a visit to Wimpole Hall and a reception with Royston’s Mayor (and also President of the Twinning Association!), Cllr Elizabeth Freeman. Earlier in the year, Roystonians had travelled to Spain to join in the Fiesta de San Isidro in Villanueva de la Cañada.
This month, 8th – 12th October, we will be welcoming a group of German twinners from Großalmerode. This visit will see links between our respective churches and bands being reforged.
On Friday 20th November we will be holding our annual dinner at The Old Bull Inn. Do come and join us! Watch out for details in next month’s Listing
