OPINION: Harrogate will be well represented in twin towns - Former headteacher Dennis Richards

Closely associated with the music of Puccini and Verdi, Montecatini is celebrating its recent elevation to UNESCO World Heritage status.

The Youth Band, selected from a wide variety of schools, will play concerts in Lucca and San Gignamo, as well as Montecatini itself. If you want to join the tour, fly to Pisa from Leeds and the train will take you the short distance to Montecatini. A treat is in store. Harrogate groups have visited the town before, without realising that Harrogate has had a twinning relationship with Montecatini since 1963. How and why was a puzzle.

Nobody knew better than Malcolm Neesam, who was always happy to spend time with our young researcher, sharing his encyclopaedic knowledge of Harrogate’s history and its twinning relationships in particular.

We were very sad to hear of Malcolm’s passing, a grievous loss for Harrogate’s “patrimoine” and genuinely, as things stand, irreplaceable. I last met him to update him on our 2022 International Partnership plans, which in his inimitable style, he wanted to record for posterity.

He was able to record Harrogate’ decision to mark ANZAC day for the first time in its history, to honour the special significance of the City of Wellington in our town.

Bagneres de Luchon in the Pyrenees, another of Harrogate’s twin towns, offers unparalleled opportunities for cyclists and fell running. This coming weekend a team of eight runners, under the logo of Harrogate International Partnerships, will tackle the feared and prestigious Aneto Trail. The Aneto is the highest peak in the Pyrenees at 11,168 feet. (Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England is 3,209ft).

Since my athletic achievements consist of a few feeble Park Run attempts, I am in awe of the sport and its participants. A series of races between 10kms and 85kms in breath-taking (literally!) locations is intimidating to the least. The 85kms race begins at 5am! Fell-running in general, and this race in particular, have rapidly gained in popularity. In its short history, the Aneto Trail has already become a qualifying race for the UTMB, the trail race on the slopes of Mont Blanc, the pinnacle of European fell-running. It seems rather sad that the only visible tangible reference to Luchon’s place in Harrogate’s history, is on a small road off Ripon Road, called Luchon Way. Bizarre really. Why would Harrogate not wish to draw attention to its longstanding links with four towns in different parts of the world?

We will be represented in Luchon by among others England fell runner Caroline Lambert and sister Heather, both ex-St Aidans, Helen Price from Harrogate Harriers, husband Martyn, a member of North Leeds Harriers. Four Helm Hill runners from Kendal make up the team. Thanks to Malcolm’s research, we discovered that decorated French Resistance hero Jean-Marie Bressand believed that bilingualism and twinning may help us to avoid the horrors of the past. Sadly, only part of his vision came to fruition.

And Harrogate was in the vanguard of it. By 1953 the twinning with Luchon was well- established, and Harrogate held its first French Week in 1953, attended by the Mayor of Luchon and Jean-Marie Bressand himself. It was one of the first in the world. Our fell-runners may not be bilingual, but the multi-national camaraderie on the Pyrenean slopes will create a language all of its own. Thanks Malcolm. He is missed already. He would have faithfully recorded this event for all of us.

As he always did.