HAVERFORDWEST has welcomed visitors from Germany to Pembrokeshire for the 29th year of twinning relations.

Visitors from Haverfordwest’s twin town of Oberkirch enjoyed a five-day visit to Pembrokeshire between Tuesday, September 11 and Saturday, September 15.

The group of 20 adults and 34 children went for a coastal walk and visited St David’s Cathedral on the Wednesday.

In the evening, the children also visited Milford Haven Youth Centre for a Welsh-themed evening.

On Thursday, they visited Cardiff to go shopping and explored Wales’ capital city.

On the morning of Friday, September 14, the children visitors enjoyed a tour of Haverfordwest VC High School on the former Thomas Picton site.

Cllr Sue Murray, the mayor of Haverfordwest, held a welcoming reception for the German guests at the Picton Centre in the afternoon and invited the visitors back to the mayor’s parlour for a tour.

Haverfordwest’s Twinning Association then held an evening reception at the Picton Centre for the Oberkirchers, with music and entertainment from the guests.

On Saturday, the guests visited Tenby before travelling back to Germany early the next day.

Roy Thomas of Haverfordwest’s Twinning Association, thanked everyone who had helped to welcome the guests from Oberkirch.

“The ladies of the committee worked really hard in assisting at the mayor’s reception and the evening reception. Special thanks go to Nadine Farmer and Liz Griffiths,” he said.

“Thanks also to the staff at Milford Haven Youth Centre, the rangers from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the guides at St David’s Cathedral, and the teachers and pupils at Haverfordwest’s new school.

“Thanks also to the hosts who put up our guests. It is a team effort all around,” said Mr Thomas.

Oberkirch is in the south-west German state of Baden-Wurtemberg, north of the Black Forest and west of Stuttgart.

The bonds between the two towns began in 1987 when Haverfordwest’s town clerk had a phone call from the Oberburgermeister about twinning, after he had seen the Glancleddau Dancers perform in Germany.

Next year, the two towns will celebrate 30 years of twinning friendship, and mutual visits are being planned.