THE Mayor of Bury proved a very worthwhile ambassador when he represented the borough at an international gathering in France.

Councillor Wilf Davison attended a meeting of the 30 towns twinned with communities in the Limousin region of France.

Visiting groups attended from as far afield as Smolensk in Russia, Quebec in Canada, Mauritius and Mali as well as the more numerous linked communities in Germany and Spain.

The mayor was accompanied by his assistant, Colin Dockery, and by two executive members of the Bury Metropolitan Twinning Association, Alan Shillaker and John Ratcliffe.

The latter was on hand to assist with problems of communication in French, although the formal debate on European issues was simultaneously translated into four languages by students from the University of Limoges.

The mayor enthusiastically promoted Bury at an international market where the five twin towns of Tulle were grouped together.

Nearby was a group from Schorndorf in Germany which has been twinned with Bury since 1994.

Tulle itself has been twinned with both Schorndorf and Bury (formerly Prestwich), since 1969 when the link overcame the bitterness which at that time was still a legacy of Hitler's regime in Germany.

Many twinnings are between communities which suffered under Nazism.

Tulle still holds an annual procession to honour its 200 citizens who were either hanged or deported by a unit of the SS on June 9, 1944.

The group from Bury took part in the commemoration ceremony and the mayor laid a wreath on behalf of the town.

Generous hospitality was given to the Bury representatives both by the Regional Council of Limousin and by the town in Tulle.

A civic group from Tulle, plus the well-known Jazz Ensemble, will visit Bury next spring.