This year's Borehamwood Festival Parade will be a special one for the twin town association, because representatives from France and Germany are due to take part for the first time.

Six primary school children from Fontenay-aux-Roses, in France, and six from Offenburg, in Germany, are due to join the celebrations on the Boreham Wood and Elstree Twin Town Association's float.

The float, decorated to look like the galleon in Peter Pan, is finished and in storage ready to take part in the parade on June 23.

Children from Borehamwood's Monksmead Primary School will join the French and German children on the float.

Also for the first time, a band from Offenburg, composed of youngsters aged 16 to 22, will take part, leading the twin town's float.

The association's Mike Mepham said: "With our links in Fontenay-aux-Roses and Offenburg we thought it would be a nice idea to get all the children together."

The participation of the French and German children is the result of visits by association members to France last year, and Germany earlier this year.

*Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council expressed its gratitude to entertainments officer Paul Welsh who is organising his 25th festival for the town.

The Elstree and Borehamwood Town Festival is due to take place from June 22 to July 1, with events like the Festival Parade on June 23 and Families Day on July 7.

At a meeting of the town council last Thursday, Councillor Bryan Stanley said: "This is the 25th festival Paul will have organised and that really is a remarkable achievement."

Mr Stanley added that the festival got better each year.

Councillor Jean Heywood thanked Mr Welsh for his work during last year's festival, when she was mayor, and Councillor John Nolan added: "Paul has done a very good job."