Wigan and Angers celebrate their 35th anniversary of twinning with a pub knees-up

And the 35th anniversary of the official twinning of Wigan and the Loire Valley city of Angers was celebrated with a party at a popular local which already has an unusual French connection.

The Cellar Bar of the Crooke Hall Inn at Crooke was the venue for the gathering of old friends, some of whom pointed out that in fact the association has been going on informally for 40 years.

The event was organised by Christine Doublet-Stewart, chair of the Angers Twinning Association (ATA) and saw eight Angers residents and three representatives of Angers Council coming over to stay with people from Wigan and Leigh.

They visited Liverpool, Chester and Manchester and attended a ceremony at Wigan Town Hall to recognise the 35-year anniversary before joining in the Streets Apart festival in the town centre.

At Crooke Hall the Angers residents were joined by representatives of the ATA as well as around 15 local residents of Wigan and Leigh who have been taking part in weekly conversational French language lessons at Crooke since May.

They are hosted by local French teacher Natalie Highton and are open to adult beginners with an interest in learning a new language in a relaxed and friendly setting.

Among those attending classes is landlady Libby Huddart and they are just one of Crooke's many community-based projects aimed at bringing together locals for social activity and learning new skills.

The guests celebrated with a buffet, cake, quiz, French karaoke and an acoustic sing-around - partly in French and partly in English - led by French DJ Olivier Silvestre who lives in the Wigan area and volunteers for the ATA.

Libby said: “Great fun was had by all and local people appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a social evening with the residents of the twinned town and learn more about the work of the ATA.”

For anyone interested in learning a new language or joining the ATA – which organises trips to Angers every two years – contact Christine at [email protected]

Crooke Hall is also organising its annnual charity festival, featuring lots of beer and bands, for September 1 to 3 which will be in aid of Wigan and Leigh Hospice.