A visit marking of the 60th anniversary of Ashby's twinning with French town Pithiviers will finally go ahead this year.

It is a link that goes back to 1960 - and it the second oldest twinning in Leicestershire.

The milestone arrival of representatives from France to Ashby was to have gone ahead two years ago.

But the coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to that, which means the 60th celebrations will now take place this summer.

The Ashby-de-la-Zouch-Pithiviers Twinning Association has put a number of events in place ahead of the visit in June.

These include days out to Stratford-Upon-Avon and the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas.

There will also be an Ashby-de-la-Zouch Town Council reception.

The last time a visit from France happened was in 2018, with an Ashby group heading in the opposite direction 12 months later.

Elaine Shaw, secretary of the Twinning Association, told Ashby Nub News more about a relationship between the two towns that has now spanned well over half a century.

She said: "It's the first time we've been able to get together since 2019, and we're back on to where we were with Ashby hosting in the even years.

"We weren't starting from scratch this year as we'd already put plans in place during 2020, the thinking was done. But we weren't sure whether things could have gone ahead last year, obviously they still couldn't due to Covid restrictions.

"But we've almost had to stop during the last two years and go into a sort of hibernation for 15 months."

Emerging from Covid proved to be a gradual process for the committee as it tentatively pressed ahead with plans for this year.

Elaine added: "Two of our most popular fundraising events had to be cancelled.

"They were two big social occasions and because of the nervousness during the pandemic, we've still not been able to host those."

The twinning activities are paid for largely through fundraisers, as committee chair, Margaret Bennett, explained.

She said: "We have to raise every penny ourselves.

"All the money has to be spent on the visit from Pithiviers."

Elaine added: "We work on a two year cycle of fundraising, then five days of spending, before the next cycle kicks in.

"This is a voluntary organisation as well."

Margaret explained the reasons behind town twinning.

She said: "The aim of it was a Government initiative after the Second World War.

"It was designed to make moves to stop another war by understanding other cultures and countries.

"In France, they wondered why the UK was breaking away from Europe.

"But we said: 'We don't love you any the less!'

"We may have broken away from the European Union but not from Europe."

The Association accepts that the disruption of the last two years might have seen the end of the twinning.

But the committee members were determined not to let such a long arrangement fade away.

Elaine added: "It's been going too long for that to happen."

"But there used to be joint twinning committee in Leicestershire and Rutland which had representatives from all the town twinning associations.

"That was disbanded a few years ago because a lot of the associations had fallen apart.

"But a lot were run by local authorities, and we're members-run.

"We're the second oldest association in the county, only beaten by Loughborough by three months.

"And together are two of the oldest associations in the country."

Margaret explained why Ashby is twinned with Pithiviers.

She said: "Because of the similarities between the two towns, it's an agricultural background with similar industrial factors.

"They have a sugar factory, we have a biscuit factory. "

Elaine added: "It was like early matchmaking, a town wanted to be twinned, and it was a case of what each had to offer.

"We each threw our hat into the ring, the Rotary Clubs liked each other, and that's how it happened."