THE Mayor of Chard has further strengthened ties with a Romanian town by taking part in a formal twinning ceremony.

Cllr Jill Shortland spent a week in the town of Seica Mare as part of the official twinning celebrations.

She was welcomed by the Mayor, Nikolai Sasa, and had the chance to meet some of the townspeople, including local farmers and councillors, before unveiling a plaque to commemorate the link.

The party, which included the Mayor’s consort, Cllr Gary Shortland, and Dawn and Andy Fletcher from Project Romania, also visited some of the sights and places of interest in the area.

Cllr Shortland said: “It was an amazing trip.

“Seica Mare is a very interesting place – it was like going back in time.”

Following her return to Chard, the Mayor has highlighted ways in which people in the town could help their counterparts in Romania.

Top of her list of priorities is helping farmers sell their produce to a wider market, raising money for prescriptions and providing specialist equipment for people with disabilities.

Cllr Shortland said: “I will be working with Project Romania to do all we can to help the people of Seica Mare.

“It is a lovely town with so much to offer, we need to do our best to support them.”