FRENCH guests were welcomed to Harwich as part of a visit organised by a twinning group which started 30 years ago.

A total of 36 members of the Rayne Twinning Association, made up of English visitors and French guests from Verberie in Picardie, spent a whole day in Harwich.

Verberie is about 40 miles north of Paris in the region of Picardie which is twinned with Essex.

The village of Rayne, meanwhile, near Braintree is twinned with Verberie during to both villages being the same size.

The group was greeted by Richard Bench, the town crier, in the ‘traditional fashion’ while the town tour was led by Harwich Society guides Phil Parker and Sue Daish

The morning schedule included a visit to the the Kindertransport statue, the Electric Palace, the Treadwheel Crane, the High Lighthouse and the Christopher Jones house.

This was followed by a roast beef lunch at the Pier Hotel, with the afternoon being spent exploring the Redoubt.

On behalf of the group, Gail Reynolds thanked the guides for their expertise, and said: “Lots of our group cannot believe how much there is to see in Harwich and can’t wait to go back.

“The French loved the visit and the town crier was the icing in the cake.”