THE county town of North Yorkshire is celebrating the silver anniversary of its links with a town in northern France.

Northallerton has been twinned with Ormesson-sur-Marne, a small town to the east of Paris, since 1993.

And the town twinning association BON - Bienvenue Ormesson Northallerton - will celebrate the25th anniversary on a visit to France at the end of May

Every two years, a group from Northallerton visits Ormesson for three days, usually at the end of May. Members of the group fund their own travel and are hosted by families of the French town.

The group is taken on a visit to somewhere of interest in the Paris environs and another day is usually spent with their host family. On one evening a social event is held in the Cultural Centre in Ormesson.

At this event, Northallerton's mayor, John Forrest will present a picture of Northallerton Town Hall to the people of Ormesson to commemorate the anniversary

The picture has been created by Richard O’Neill of Brompton, a digital artist specialising in hand drawn contemporary landscapes.

New families would be very welcome to be involved in the visits, hosting a French visitor to Northallerton and visiting Ormesson the next year.

Anyone interested shoulod contact Northallerton Town Hall.