TWO members of the Okehampton and District Twinning Association recently had the chance to visit Hungary and experience their culture as they represented Okehampton at an official event.

Dawn Roe and her son Kyle May, from Belstone (above) visited the country to attend the formal signing of twinning agreements between Hungarian town Iszkaszentgyorgy and French town Craon, which is twinned with Okehampton.

The pair's time in Hungary was hectic. Kyle said: 'From the moment we met at the airport, the weekend's programme began. Joining the event were people from France, Finland, Germany and Romania.

'The main events gave the guests experience of the local culture — crafts, foods, dancing, music and language. Being a twinning event, there was also the experience of living with a Hungarian family in their home.'

Dawn and Kyle represented Okehampton throughout formalities within the programme. The event promoted communication across different European communities, with the theme of 'Reacting Together, Facing the Crisis'.

Dawn noted the strong interest their continental friends had in Britain. She said: 'For all our interest in them, they were very interested to learn better English, and of course the royal wedding was of interest too. For all the differences with language and some of culture, the similarities were more common for day-to-day living.

'My particular interest was how they collected water so that they could afford to water their gardens regularly. For some reason, I hadn't expected to see such a large amount of lush green.'

The trip also opened the pair's eyes to the importance of sharing different perspectives and cultural differences. Dawn said: 'We have a chance to show how we deal with certain situations, and also to learn about alternative methods, which could be integrated into our lives back in Devon.

'The Okehampton area has so much to offer and gain from exploring these avenues further. Both Kyle and I would truly value the opportunity to represent Okehampton and its surrounding area again if we were invited to future events.

'By the time we left, we had all made new friends, had recognised the difficulties we face, but all surpassed by openness, a sense of humour and a desire to share everything good.'

l Dawn and Kyle will be holding a presentation, Hungarian dinner and topical quiz with the Twnning Association at Belstone Village Hall on Friday July 1. Tickets at £10 can be purchased from Dawn on 01837 849159. Proceeds are for the PICU at Bristol Royal Children's Hospital and the Twinning Association.