Bury is seeking to twin with a town in Ukraine as part of its continuing solidarity with the country, following the third anniversary of its invasion by Russia.
Bury Council voted one year ago, on the second anniversary of the invasion, to explore twinning arrangements.
After working with representatives of our Ukrainian communities, two potential places to twin with – Ivano Frankivsk and Uzhgorod – have now been identified.
There are residents of Bury who come from, or have strong links, to these towns; and regional officials from Uzhgorod have visited Bury to thank the borough for the humanitarian aid it has provided.
Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council, said: “On the third anniversary of the invasion, Bury is continuing to support our Ukrainian communities and friends, and all those affected by these devastating events.
“We want to strengthen that relationship by twinning with one of two places in Ukraine, and will welcome the views of residents to help us decide which one to twin with.”
Details will soon be announced of how Bury residents can vote for one of the two shortlisted towns.
Cllr O’Brien added: “Bury has long had an established Ukrainian community, and we have welcomed 248 people fleeing the 2022 invasion along with a number of families.
“These people remain unable to return to their homeland. Through working with representatives of our Ukrainian communities, we have identified two potential places to twin with, Ivano Frankivsk and Uzhgorod, and want people’s views to help.”
Ivano-Frankivsk is a city with a centuries-old history, ancient traditions, extraordinary artistic life and a dynamic economy.
Uzhgorod, the administrative centre of Zakarpattia Oblast in western Ukraine, is a city of historical and cultural importance.
Like Bury, both are culturally significant, presenting opportunities to strengthen our institutional and personal relationships with these places.
Bury has a long history of town twinning and is currently successfully twinned with four towns: in France (Tulle and Angouleme), Germany (Schorndorf) and the USA (Woodbury). These arrangements are well supported by Bury Metro Community Twinning Association, an organisation independent of the council, who carry out the majority of twinning functions once a twin has been identified.
