Warminster is set to commemorate 10 years of twinning with its namesake Warminster Township, Pennsylvania. In 2013 some Councillors from Warminster, Wiltshire visited Warminster, USA and were shown around the American town.
Now a group from the USA, including Leo Quinn III, who was Chairperson for Warminster Board of Supervisors (the USA equivalent of Mayor) at the time of the 2013 visit, is coming to Warminster, UK.
The group is set to be welcomed to our town with celebrations planned to commemorate a decade long relationship.
On Saturday September 16th, as well as a welcome lunch and tour of town landmarks, the group will be entertained at Prestbury Sport’s Bar, which is hosting a David Bowie tribute and buffet.
On Sunday 17th, the Town Crier will perform a special twinning cry just before 10am for the opening of the Autumn Market, which is being held in the Civic Centre. The Mayor of Warminster, Councillor Phil Keeble, will be there to greet the guests from around 9.30am and give them a flag of Great Britain and a book about Warminster titled ‘Warminster Through Time.’
Councillor Keeble said;
Warminster USA has a population of 32,000 but they are all welcome to come and pay us a visit. The township was founded in 1685, so it will be nice to show them some of our older heritage.
A different approach between the two Warminsters can be illustrated by the example of space exploration. Warminster, Pennsylvania notably trained astronauts for the Apollo Space programme, whereas Warminster Wiltshire, is famous for UFOs visiting Cley Hill. So in the USA you send people to the moon perhaps to encounter alien life forms, whereas in the UK we prefer to wait for the aliens to visit us.
As well as sharing a name the two towns are very proud of their green spaces. The Lake Pleasure Grounds, managed by Warminster Town Council cover just 16 Acres (with Smallbrook Meadows covering another 50). Warminster Township’s Recreation Services Division oversees and maintains 420 acres of recreation areas within 13 parks. Warminster Community Park is the largest at 240 acres, with over five miles of trails!
Former Warminster Town Councillor, Nick Pitcher previously presented the town shield to Warminster, Pennsylvania as well as various publications from Warminster, after corresponding with the Township’s Rotary Club in 2013. It was hoped that the idea of twinning would create links with potential visitors from the USA.
For more information contact Warminster Town Council, Tel: 01985 214847 or email: admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk
Last modified: 17 April 2024
