Pied Piper celebrates 51 years of friendship

“Into the streets the Piper stepped, smiling first a little smile, as if he knew what magic slept.”

The Pied Piper of Hamelin paid a visit to the Paignton Club this week, as part of the 51st anniversary of the twinning of Torbay and Hamelin in Germany.

Michael Boyer, who has become somewhat of a legend in Torbay as well as Hamelin, led a pack of ‘rats’ away with his flute after a celebration of 51 years of friendship between the two towns.

The festivities, scuppered for the 50th anniversary by Covid complications, saw many residents of Hamelin sit down with people from across Torbay for an afternoon of tea, cake and gift-giving.

Starting in 1973 as a youth exchange, Torbay and Hamelin have shared a deep connection of friendship and cooperation, with countless groups, societies and organisations travelling between the two places.

At the event, the Pied Piper even announced a revelation that neatly ties Torbay and Hamelin together through a quirk of shared history. Percy Stow, the co-founder of Clarendon Film Company, was the director of the first-ever film about Hamelin’s famous Pied Piper in 1907.

Percy died in 1919, but after extensive research, it was found that Percy had come to Torquay to recover from an illness. Standing in front of the two towns, the Pied Piper revealed that Percy Stow was in fact buried in Victoria Cemetery in Torquay. Both towns agreed to help clear up his grave and help give Percy a proper headstone.

Nicole Amil, Councillor for Cockington with Chelston and Chair of the Twinning Committee, said: “We want to welcome our friends from Hamelin and of course the Pied Piper. I’ve been involved since the beginning, since 1973. I’ve been blessed to make lots of really good friends and to visit Hamelin many times.

“Over the years, our friendship has blossomed, generations of friendships have been made and we hope generations more will continue, because this is all about friendship and trust. It’s something we have built and we value. From the lifesaving club to the churches, table tennis teams and everything else, it’s been a remarkable few years.”

A representative from Hamelin said: “We’re happy to be here again and have this friendship with Torbay for 51 years. We’re so thankful for the kindness and the politeness that we’ve been shown over the years.

“Keeping this friendship alive is not always easy. There are times when we have more contact and times when we have less, but we’ll never stop trying and it’s great to see our partners again.”