ALTON Town Twinning Association will celebrate 10 years of links with the French town of Pertuis this month by hosting a party of visitors.

Pertuis is located in the heart of Provence in south-west France in the Vaucluse département at the crossroads of routes between the Alps and the Mediterranean. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside and villages in France, Pertuis is at the foot of the Luberon hills to the north of Aix en Provence and Marseille.

Alton has been twinned with Pertuis since 2006 and all the stops will be pulled out for the anniversary exchange visit from October 21-24.

They will attend a ceilidh at the Maltings Centre, hosted by Alton Morris, from 8pm on the Friday of their arrival. The event is open to the public and tickets (£5, to include a drink) are available from [email protected].

This will be followed at 11.15am on October 22 by the official unveiling of the Pertuis Avenue road sign (at its junction with Whitedown Lane) by the mayors of the two towns.

In the evening there will be an anniversary concert at the Maltings Centre featuring Alton Concert Band, Alton Community Choir, the Kings Pond Shantymen and violinist Jonathan Holland will start at 8pm. Advance tickets cost £5 and are available from Newbury Building Society. Free tickets for under-18s will be available on the door.

On the Sunday, the visitors will spend time with their hosts before attending an anniversary dinner at Alton House Hotel.

During the week Alton Matters has organised a French-themed scavenger hunt to take place throughout the town from October 22-30. Competition forms are available from participating shops.

And from October 29 to November 12 there will be an exhibition of photographs of Pertuis in Alton library, taken by the Pertuis Camera Club. This will coincide with a similar exhibition of Alton photographs in Pertuis.

The twinning association exists to foster communication and friendship with towns in other countries on behalf of Alton and the surrounding villages. Alton has been twinned with Montecchio Maggiore in Italy since 1998 and with Pertuis since 2006.

The twinning association has developed a programme of exchanges and activities and an expanding network of inter-town relationships.

For more details or to join the twinning association, visit altontwinning.org.uk or call Don Hammond on 07860 232336.