Students give German friends warm welcome

AN international friendship forged 40 years ago was honoured by a visit from Germany exchange students.

Teenagers from the Gymnasium Salvatorkolleg in Bad Wurzach in Southern Germany stayed with the family of King’s School students during a recent visit.

It was arranged by King’s head of German Jessica Houghton and Karin Heine, a teacher from Germany, whose brother befriended former King’s Deputy Head David Pook through an exchange programme.

As well as exploring Macclesfield the latest batch of German students went to see the Beatles and slavery museums in Liverpool, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and the Minster and Dungeons in York. They also got to meet the Mayor of Macclesfield Councillor Alift Harewood-Jones who said she was delighted the programme had enabled both English and German students to practise their language skills and “understand just how similar they are despite national barriers”.

She said: “People are people are people, but you can’t understand Macclesfield and Maxonians without getting to know their own special language.

“The people have a closeness and steadfast purpose that comes from their industrial heritage and the long tradition of so many established families and once you get into the spirit and mood of the town, you can become one of us.

“It also comes from the peaks and plains and sheer beauty that surrounds us and pervades our spirit.”

The German students had nice things to say