A delegation from Salzgitter's twin town Swindon, led by Mayor Caroline Fay Howard, arrived from the UK. The guests from England not only had an extraordinary gift in their luggage, but also enough time and a few extra days to get to know the diversity of Salzgitter better after the official opening on Wednesday.

A special guest of honor at the ceremony was Peter-Jürgen Schneider, the former Finance Minister of Lower Saxony, who, as a long-standing member of the Salzgitter City Council, was himself present at the signing of the partnership agreement between Swindon and Salzgitter in 1975.

In his speech, Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel said: "A warm welcome to our long-standing friends from our British twin town of Swindon. 50 years of town twinning - that is half a century of friendship, mutual support and countless encounters between people from our two towns. Today we are not just celebrating a formal connection, but a living bond that has grown over generations." He emphasized that a town twinning requires more than just a signed twinning certificate. Living town twinning requires people who breathe life into the idea of twinning. People who stand for international understanding and who cultivate friendships, especially in today's fragile times. In his speech, Klingebiel made special mention of the "three driving forces behind the Salzgitter-Swindon partnership" Reginald Clark, Hermann Struck and Rudi Rückert, who have already passed away, as well as the current councillor Kevin Small. "What started out as an official acquaintance has become a close friendship. Kevin is family to me and I am infinitely grateful to him for his tireless commitment over the decades," emphasized Klingebiel.

Swindon Mayor Caroline Fay Howard and Councillor Kevin Small spoke on behalf of the delegation from Swindon. Both felt honored to be in Salzgitter for this special anniversary. They emphasized that they had learned a lot from each other and that it was important to inspire young people about this close friendship between the two towns so that it would continue for the next 50 years.

The delegation from Swindon was in Salzgitter from Wednesday to Sunday. The visit program on Thursday included a tour of the Salzgitter AG plant, a visit to the Solewellenbad swimming pool and an official welcome dinner in the Ratskeller. On Friday, they went on a tour of the Bosch plant. The hydrogen campus there was also part of the visit. This was followed by a tour of the east and west housing estates with a presentation of the "Purchase and refurbishment of 149 apartments" project and a tour of the Salzgitter-Bad municipal library. On Saturday, the delegation was given a demonstration of the catapult during a guided tour of the grounds of Lichtenberg Castle before heading to the official opening of the Schloss Salder Adventstreff.