The Council and Hounslow Chamber of Commerce celebrate 40th anniversary of town-twinning with Issy-les-Moulineaux in France.
Published: Thursday, 29th September 2022
Last weekend, the Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat and the Mayor of Hounslow, Cllr Raghwinder Siddhu along with members of Hounslow Chamber of Commerce and a small delegation of council officers were delighted to be invited to Issy-les-Moulineaux to mark our 40th town-twinning anniversary.
Hounslow has been twinned with Issy since 1982 - forty years of a valued friendship and partnership. Undoubtedly, a length of time to mark and reflect.
The twinning between the towns years ago started with a pupil exchange programme, which still sees young aspiring French and English speakers discover the history and culture of their twin-towns every year. Today our teams also work closely together with the Chamber of Commerce to explore and develop new economic and business opportunities through tourism, visitor economy and other shared sectors such as IT, Digital and Communications. Like Hounslow, Issy is determined to support innovation through smart city initiatives, the tech and media industry, and the green economy amongst others.
During the weekend, along with celebrating the historic 40-year partnership with Issy, the Council showcased Hounslow’s incredible visitor offer at a ‘English Marketplace’ set in the Town Hall square which was attended by residents, visitors, and local businesses. An incredible opportunity for us to promote Hounslow on international soil as a place to visit and explore.
Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat said:
“We are very grateful for the invitation from the Mayor of Issy, Andre Santini and the warm welcome we received from their delegation. The official ceremony held at Issy’s Town Hall, with the signing of the ‘renewal of the twinning agreement’ was an important motion signifying the commitment of both our councils to continue to preserve and develop our long-lasting partnership.
“To pay tribute to our late Queen, Elizabeth II, a minute of silence was also observed at the Town Hall ceremony. A poignant moment to pay respect to a monarch who leaves a tremendous legacy of bringing communities together during both the most difficult and joyful of times. In the light of what is going on elsewhere in our world, it is particularly important to further such friendships between nations and work together to face the challenges ahead”.
“I was lucky to have been a pupil in Hounslow who took part in the school exchange and visited Issy as part of the programme, so I’m really proud to have been able to mark 40 years of an active town-twinning relationship which has created these opportunities for young people as well as all the other joint projects which promote our town cities. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our counterparts in Issy”.
The Mayor of Hounslow, Cllr Raghwinder Siddhu also said:
“There is no doubt, Issy and Hounslow have many similarities, in geography, business, economy and so on. But we also share the passion and commitment to actively engage with each other and make sure our town-twinning plays a positive role for our residents. We value the longstanding relationship we hold with Issy and look forward to continuing this friendship for another 40 years and beyond”.
