A MAN has shared his passion for Bracknell town with his hometown in Germany featuring a Bracknell town branded litter bin and its own Bracknell inspired pub.
Henry Artell, 77 lives in Leverkusen, Germany, a town which is twinned with Bracknell Town since 1973.
He has become a bit of social media star on Bracknell's largest Facebook community group after posting about his love for the Berkshire town.
In 2019, Mr Artell visited Bracknell on the anniversary of the twinning, where he stayed with a host family.
Speaking to the News, he said: "I've always been a fan of English history and its traditions and have been to England several times as a teenager.
"My love for Bracknell arose when I visited Bracknell in 2019 as part of our town twinning and was able to live with a lovely host family in their house. So my love is more for the people I got to know than for the city itself, although I was very impressed by the new centre and its shopping mall."
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His small town of Leverkusen has its very own 'Bracknell Square' with a Bracknell Forest Council looking road sign and even a red postbox.
The square also features a litter bin and a couple of yards away there is a pub called the Bracknell Stube.
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Henry expressed the importance of making friends and keeping connections close together all over the world.
His posts on the We Love Bracknell Facebook group has sparked conversations and he's even had people inviting him back to Bracknell.
Henry added: "I've always been a fan of English history and its traditions and have been to England several times as a teenager. Bracknell has been Leverkusen's twin city since 1973 and since then there has been a lively exchange of private visitors to both cities.
"Living with host families is an integral part of these town twinning arrangements. In this way you not only get to know the country but also the people personally and friendships that last for years are often created."
Bracknell Twinning Association works with the Freundeskreis in Leverkusen to arrange regular visits to their partner towns and in particular to facilitate exchanges between local interest groups, schools and sports clubs and for work experience.
n recent years the bond of friendship between citizens of the twin towns has been re-kindled with an increasing number of exchanges and joint activities.
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