Visit to Marlborough celebrates link (From This Is Wiltshire)

Visit to Marlborough celebrates link

7:00am Sunday 25th October 2009

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The mayor of Marlborough’s link community, Gunjur in The Gambia, was welcomed to the town on Saturday by Mayor Nick Fogg in the rather unusual setting of the second of the town’s two annual Mop fairs.

The Alikali (mayor) of Gunjur Alhagie Sulayman Touray and the Nyansimba, head of the Gunjur Women’s Organisation, Aja Mai Kebbeh, are spending two weeks in England.

This week they will be meeting local groups and next week visiting the Gambian community in Bristol.

The pair, together with interpreter Mankamang Touray who has made a number of visits to Marlborough, are visiting Wiltshire to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first working group from Marlborough visiting Gunjur.

They were guests at a civic reception on Tuesday. Over the last quarter century hundreds of people, especially students from St John’s School and Marlborough College and from schools in the Gambia, have taken part in exchange visits.

The Alikali and Nyansimba, who will be staying with local families during their visit, were met at Gatwick airport on Friday by members of Marlborough Brandt Group with their president Dr Nick Maurice who was one of the founders of the exchange between the two communities.

Coun Fogg, when he first held office 25 years ago, was the first Mayor of Marlborough to visit Gunjur and said the visit had a profound effect on the lives of everyone involved.

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