Twinning began in earnest after the Second World Ward when the rebuilding of links between countries was more necessary then ever. It was for this reason that the majority of early twinning links were with Germany and France (and still remain so). Some of the earliest links still flourish and have developed as times and circumstances changed. In more recent times, local authorities have made links with non-European towns and cities (notably in African, South African and former Soviet Union countries) and these have given rise to a different emphasis and structure of twinning. Some Councils have made twinning links specifically "technical" and, therefore, the emphasis on these activities is the exchange of information rather than large numbers of people. Similarly, the motivation for twinning has widened over the years.

Today, some links may be formed or developed with an eye towards trade or economic development links rather than the social/cultural focus of previous links. Also, new twinning links may reflect the interests of the community or its ethnic make-up rather than its links during the Second World War. As a result of this widening of motivation and type of links, many twinnings have different levels of formality and, therefore, different roles and responsibilities for the Mayor.

However, twinning, by and large, is an opportunity for "ordinary" people to come together to discuss issues that are universal.

It is true that the vast majority of town twinning emanated from Councils and many authorities still "lea" (benignly or otherwise) their twinning activities. It is also true that the presence of the Mayor in some foreign town halls was universally seen as an honour to those hosting and a junket to those back home. In the early days of twinning, the Mayors of both twin towns were seen as focal points of the two communities and indeed a "seal of approval" on the emerging twinning arrangement.

However, once twinning relationships are established, "ordinary" people begin to be involved in exchanges and the role of the Mayor will change.

Preston's twin towns

The making of European links via Twinning began in Preston 1948 with Almelo in the Netherlands. This grew to include Nimes, France in 1955, Recklinghausen, Germany in 1956 and finally Kalisz, Poland in 1989. The first three cities were chosen on a like for like basis of population, ethnicity and employment sectors.

The rationale behind all twinning initiatives was, and is, to encourage greater tolerance and understanding throughout all organisations, and to encourage friendship and business opportunity at national, European, local and individual levels.

The Kalisz 'twin' was created to enable officer specialism from Preston to support and encourage the economy of Kalisz. This partnership for example enabled the Incubator Unit for small businesses in Kalisz to be built which is still in operation today.