PEOPLE in Carnforth are being urged to get behind ambitious plans to forge cultural and community links with a town on the Continent.

For several months, residents of the town have been working on developing ties with Sailly sur la lys, a textile town in northern France, close to Lille.

Following exchange visits between community leaders in the two towns, the French community decided it wanted Carnforth to become its twin town - an offer which Carnforth Town Council has agreed to accept.

The next step in the project is to let people in the town know about the twinning, and the benefits it could bring, with a public meeting taking place on Wednesday, November 13, to bring residents up to date.

The Rev Tony Rimmer, who, along with Carnforth's town crier Frank Barton and town mayor George Birkett, have been working hard to drive the project forward, said there were several similarities between the two towns.

Sailly has a resident population of around 4,600, with many still working in the town's textile factory, with farming, steel fabrication and printing the other main industries.

Mr Rimmer said many inhabitants commute to the nearby city of Lille, just as many people in Carnforth work in Kendal and Lancaster.

Advantages of twinning, according to Mr Rimmer, include the chance to work together on common problems, with the possibility of being able to draw down European funding for projects.

Mr Rimmer said the twinning was a "golden opportunity" for the people of Carnforth to experience a range of cultural ties.

He said: "It's not just about a holiday to France, it's getting to know and understand people, and stay with them in their own homes."

Mr Rimmer said young people would particularly benefit from the chance to take part in exchanges and practise their language skills.

The public meeting will take place at the County Hotel, Carnforth, starting at 7pm.

If the project gets good support, the next step will be to set up a twinning association.