For many years Staffordshire has worked in close partnership with the city of Bremen in Germany.
In March 1962, the County Council made a gift of some land to the German government which was turned into a German Military Cemetery. The cemetery which is on Cannock Chase is a memorial to some 5000 German war dead.
Each year since the memorial was established, parties of young Germans, mostly 16-19 years olds, have come to Staffordshire to work on the grave plots under the guidance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission caretaker.
The relationship between Bremen and Staffordshire County Council has grown over the years and when the groups of young people visit they are invited to join local youth groups, sports clubs and schools to share ideas and promote youth democracy. Staffordshire young people will also join some of the groups at German military cemeteries on the continent.
This year it was Staffordshire’s turn to visit Bremen and I was lucky enough to join the young people on their trip over the last 3 days.
Throughout our stay we were treated to a wealth of trips including a meeting with the Bremen Parliament, visits to thriving businesses, a tour of their local museums and the great spectacle of the Bremen Music Show. But we also discussed how our partnership can progress to benefit our young people in the future.
My trip really highlighted the importance of building strong relationships and learning from other successful areas in Europe.