Twinning is alive – at least where I live.

According to some in the media, twinning is doomed. Sadly there is some evidence to support that view, internationally, but the twinned villages of Woodhall Spa and Roëzé are bucking the alleged trend. Earlier this year a doughty band of Woodhall Spa and district families once again crossed the Channel to spend a long weekend with their French hosts en famille, and plans are now being drawn up for the next return visit in 2017.

As yet, dates have not been set, but  a recent survey of current WSTA members indicates continued willingness to offer slices of English life once again next year. It does seem likely that demand will exceed supply, so the association is once again on the lookout for new families.

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Dambusters live on in Woodhall Spa

The connection between RAF Dambusters Squadron 617 and Woodhall Spa is well known around here, and is nowhere more evident than in the Petwood Hotel, where in 1942 Dambuster crew, including Canadian, New Zealand, Australian and British Air Force personnel, were stationed. The Squadron Bar, virtually untouched since it served as the officers’ mess, remains a magnet for historians and anyone who, like me, as a boy, was thrilled by the Dambusters film when it came out in 1955.

I am now struck by the tenacity and dedication of those who keep the Dambusters reality alive, as evidenced not just by frequent guests and visitors, but also by numerous posts on social media and, in particular by the Dambusters Blog, written by Charles Foster, nephew of Dambuster pilot David Maltby. As well as logging fascinating biographical notes and reproducing numerous old photographs, the blog features some intriguing current stories, such as an unusual take on Barnes Wallace, the inventor of the famous bouncing bomb: