Town councillors in Marlborough are supporting plans for links with Marlborough in New Zealand following a visit to the town by Jeff Sewell, who runs a guest house there.
Mr Sewell has just returned home after spending a couple of weeks in Wiltshire developing links between the wine growing district of Marlborough NZ and the town of Marlborough.
On Monday councillors backed the idea but stressed it would not be a formal twinning but a series of links between the two communities already started by the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce and St Peter’s Primary School.
Coun Graham Francis told colleagues on Monday: “The twinning committee has been looking at two aspects of twinning, firstly a European town of similar size that might be interested in twinning with us and, secondly, linking with sister Marlboroughs around the world.”
Mayor Nick Fogg, who visited Marlborough NZ for its 150th anniversary celebrations last year, said there were a total of 24 Marlboroughs dotted around the world.
Coun Fogg, founder of Marlborough International Jazz Festival, said he was hoping the mayor of Marlborough NZ would accept an invitation to open the 2010 event in July.
Coun Francis told the council that Marlborough NZ was keen on developing links through the internet and by visits. Councillors agreed to welcome the link and to pursue it.
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