We would be delighted if you would join us for the 70th Anniversary of the Bury-Cologne Exchange.

The foreign exchange programme between Bury Grammar School and the Deutzer Gymnasium in Cologne is one of the longest running in the country.

We are very proud of our cultural and linguistic links with our partner German school and very happy to be celebrating 70 years of this important partnership which has meant so much to generations of pupils and staff.

Jon Meier, the son of Dr Meier who founded the Bury-Cologne Exchange, will be speaking and we hope also to hear from today’s students and to be able to share stories and memorabilia from the last 70 years. We will also be inviting representatives from the Deutzer Gymnasium. It really is quite a remarkable achievement that so many people have been determined to protect this legacy.

We are especially keen to invite all former participants from both BGS and the Deutzer Gymnasium. If you are in touch with anyone who might be interested, please do not hesitate to share this invitation. The opportunity to meet up with old friends and share your stories is one we hope guests will enjoy.

The event will begin with afternoon tea and short presentations, followed by the opportunity to have a tour of the school of today and visit our archives in their new home. There will be ample time to catch up with old and new friends and colleagues.

If you have any photographs, stories or memorabilia that you may like to share, we would be grateful to know of these in advance. We anticipate creating a new display of the Bury-Cologne Exchange as part of the whole school archive.