Twinners celebrate 50 years of friendship

A delegation of Helston’s town twinners including Mayor John Martin, were in Sasso Marconi, Italy last week to celebrate fifty years of friendship between the two towns.

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Sasso was the home of famous inventor Guglielmo Marconi who in 1901 carried out experiments at Poldhu  near Helston and was the first to send radio waves across the Atlantic disproving all the top physicists of the time who said that it was impossible. It was because of this Cornish link that Helston and Sasso decided to twin back in 1968. From then on the twinning has gone from strength to strength with regular exchanges of adults and youngsters between the two towns.

The visitors were hosted in the homes of their Italian counterparts and were made to feel very welcome with fantastic food and trips to the ancient cities of Bologna and Lucca.

Highlight of the trip was a large reception and musical evening attended by Marconi’s daughter, the Princess Elettra at which both John Martin and Sasso’s mayor Stefano Mazzetti, expressed their wholehearted commitment to twinning and looked forward to even closer ties between the two communities in the future.

Helston’s radio amateurs even got the chance to transmit from Marconi’s old home, the Villa Griffone, back to fellow club members at the Marconi Centre in Poldhu and the two mayors sent messages of goodwill over the air which could be heard by radio amateurs throughout the world.

The twinning is open to everyone and new members are always welcome.  Helston is also twinned with a town in France, so it is a great opportunity for anyone with an interest in French or Italian language or culture to get to know our friends overseas.  Anybody who is interested in joining or simply wants more information can phone Chairman, Phil Hanman on 01736 361033 or e-mail hdtta@hotmail.co.uk