A HIGH-powered delegation from the former East Germany visited Bolton at the week-end.

The trip was tied in with the decision of the European Commission to designate 1996 as the European Year of Life-Long Learning.

One of the objectives is the promotion of collaboration and exchange between educational partners in the post-16 sector in all European countries.

Individual, a German educational travel company, decided to include Greater Manchester in a visit to England undertaken by the delegation from Thuringia.

The company approached two local language schools for help in preparing the programme - Euro-Family Connection in Bolton run by Marianne Murphy and Judith Godfrey's Manchester Language School in Didsbury.

Individual knew about Bolton because the company secretary had previously been on a course here and liked the town and its people.

The nine-strong delegation, which was led by an MP, Herr Norbert Otto, started its fact-finding mission with a visit to Manchester.

It included talks with Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a tourist trip round the city centre.

Later the Germans hosted an evening reception at the Beaumont Hotel in Bolton attended by local representatives of the tourist industry, independent language schools, other educational establishments, local employers and politicians.

It is hoped the visit will lead to regular language-enhancing placements for young people with companies locally and in Germany.

The delegates were welcomed at the Beaumont Hotel by Mr Peter Weidenbaum, President of the Bolton and Bury Chamber of Commerce.

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