Following exploratory visits by representatives from both communities, in March 1990 the towns of Horwich and Crowborough (East Sussex) entered into a unique and historic twinning arrangement when they became the first towns within this country to sign a Twinning Charter.

The Charter was signed by the Town Mayors of Horwich and Crowborough at a ceremony in the Public Hall, Horwich on 22nd March 1990 and in the Town Hall Crowborough on 27th March 1990. The aims of the twinning are set out in the Charter which reads as follows:-

"In the Public Hall of Horwich this 22nd day of March, one thousand nine hundred and ninety, we, Cllr Paul Scott, Town Mayor of Crowborough in the County of East Sussex, and Cllr Ian B. Hamilton, Town Mayor of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.

Do proclaim the twinning of the towns of Horwich and Crowborough with a view to promoting exchanges of a cultural, social and sporting nature of interest to our populations..

Do solemnly declare, in the name of our citizens, our will to promote and develop understanding, mutual respect, fraternity and friendship between the people of Horwich and Crowborough, thus clearing the way for a complete understanding between the peoples of our regions".

Crowborough is a country town with a population of approximately 21,000 and is set on the eastern limits of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. A sprawling town, interspersed with trees, with its great Beacon Hill rising almost centrally, it has a very green image from a distance. Although a number of older properties, mainly farmhouses date from the 15th and 16th centuries, most of the shops and houses in the town centre were built in the Victorian era.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Horwich Town Council is willing to give sympathetic consideration to applications for financial assistance towards exchange visits, with a view to strengthening and creating friendships between schools, societies, groups, clubs and individuals of the two towns.

For more information visit: Crowborough