ROSSENDALE could be twinned with a Russian town, thanks to links made between a languages lecturer and a local school. Mr Ivan Svistunov, the Mayor of Engels, is visiting the area and Rossendale Council hopes to forge links with their town in Russia.

They met pupils at All Saints RC High School, Rawtenstall, yesterday which runs evening classes in Russian and is the base for Rossendale Russia Association.

The school, which hopes to become an International Language College next year, made their first links with Russia when they met English lecturer Irina Gvozdyuk, who spent a month in the North West earlier this year as part of a business English course. Irina also spent three days at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph learning how East Lancashire's favourite newspaper is produced.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.