AFTER a dormant few years, twinning exchanges between North Tawton and Blangy le Château in France have picked up ahead of the 40th anniversary of their twinning in 2015.

Members of North Tawton Twinning Association visited their twin town during the first weekend of September.

Twinning exchanges have been few and far between in recent years, and the visit provided the opportunity to renew friendships and make new ones.

The weekend started with a visit to a nearby cheese factory at Livarot, with the opportunity to taste the cheese afterwards.

Over the weekend, visitors were treated to dinners, visits to Honfleur and Lisieux among other places, and a guided tour around Blangy le Château.

North Tawton will be welcoming friends from Blangy le Château in 2014, and will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the twinning in 2015, with visits in both directions. The group is keen to find people to get involved in the association.

Christine King, from the association, said: 'You do not have to speak French to enjoy the exchanges, sign language and a dictionary go a long way and if all else fails, there are French speakers on hand to help out.'

The next twinning association event is a quiz in North Tawton Town Hall on October 24 at 7.30pm.

For more information on becoming a member or to be involved in the quiz, call Christine King on 01837 82501.