PLANS for twinning Malvern with a spa town in the French Pyrenees are gathering momentum with an enthusiastic response from the public.

At a meeting of Malvern Town Council on Tuesday, town clerk Linda Blake said that since the plan was originally mooted last month, she has had a positive response.

She said: "About 12 people have come forward to be part of the twinning association and among them are a number of fluent French speakers. There are also a number who have lived in France."

She described the response as "very enthusiastic" and said a meeting of the twinning association will be held later this month.

And also this week, the town's MP Harriett Baldwin has offered her support to the twinning plan.

Mrs Baldwin has just met Stéphane Barthe, who is deputy mayor of Bagnères-de-Bigorre, to discuss plans to build closer links with Malvern.

He has been meeting local dignitaries during a week-long visit to the town to discuss the proposal for twinning.

Bagneres-de-Bigorre has a thriving business attracting health tourists to sample its famous spa treatments and it is famous for its nearby ski resorts, and also the renowned Col du Tourmalet, which is a regular feature in the mountain stages of the Tour de France cycle race.

Mrs Baldwin said: “I am pleased to add my support to the efforts to twin Malvern and Bagnères-de- Bigorre. Both towns are fabulous tourist destinations with a long history of the health-giving qualities of their waters.

“I think cyclists may find their mountains slightly tougher than our Wyche Cutting but it strikes me that we do have a lot in common.

“It is important that twinning is not just something enjoyed by local government representatives so I will be mentioning this venture to local head teachers when I meet them to see what we can do to establish links between schools in both towns.”

Bagnères-de-Bigorre is part of a French national spa town network. Attracting over 8,500 visitors to take its waters each year, it is also linked with three other spa towns in Europe: Tutzing in Bavaria, Granarolo Dell’Emilia in Italy and Alhama de Granada in southern Spain.