Shrewsbury's association with the historic Dutch town of Zutphen goes back to the year 1586 when Sir Philip Sydney, an old boy of Shrewsbury School, was fatally wounded the battle of Zutphen when trying to liberate the town from the Spanish occupation.

 

Contact was renewed when, after the liberation of Zutphen at the end of the second world war, the population of Shrewsbury sent aid to this needy town.

 

In October 1945 the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Mr Harry Steward, wrote that Shrewsbury wanted to "adopt" Zutphen. Mr Steward, together with members of the appeal committee, visited Zutphen in August 1946, and was given a leather bound book containing the signatures of the people of Zutphen to express their gratitude.

 

Contacts were continued and encouraged by both towns, and an official twinning was finally recognised on 6th May 1977.

• www.shrewsbury-zutphen-twinning.info

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council assists the twinning each year to help promote exchanges between clubs, societies and business groups in each town.
Football teams, swimming parties, musicians, doctors, dancers, teachers, pupils from a wide range of schools and many other groups have arranged twinning visits with their opposite numbers. Their experiences have shown just how fruitful these exchanges can be.

 

Our towns and people have much in common and the opportunities given by the twinning, to discover similarities, and to enjoy and learn from our differences, are there for us to grasp.

 

Both towns have an official "Twinning Co-ordination Committee" and each year the two committees take it in turns to organise a visit based on a theme of mutual interest.
The committees endeavour to recruit a party of experts from within the towns. Trips focussing on such issues as Law and Order, Economic Development, Tourism, and Care for the Elderly, have proved immensely successful. Some of the delegates become enthusiastic members of the Shrewsbury Committee.

 

In Europe, the Shrewsbury and Atcham - Zutphen twinning is regarded as being one of the most successful twinnings yet established.

 

It is the aim of the two twinning committees to encourage contact between those who live in both towns, in the spirit of the twinning agreement. This may be between clubs and organisations or simply between families, or indeed individuals.
Visits to the other twin town may be arranged on the understanding that a return visit will be made when convenient. If you do not have a contact in Zutphen but would like to exchange with your twin town, the twinning committee will pass on your request to Zutphen, in order to find an organisation or individual with similar interests.
This is the whole idea of twinning - to bring people into close contact.