LINKS between Malvern and its namesake community in Pennsylvania, USA, have been strengthened with a visit from two residents of the UK town.

Cora Weaver and Bruce Osborne, founders of the Malverns WorldWide project, have just returned from a six-day visit to the American town, during which they met civic leaders and exchanged gifts.

The two spent the visit as guests of the mayor and his wife, David and Linda Burton.

Mrs Weaver said: “At the borough council meeting on our first evening, I gave a ten-minute presentation showing images of our Malvern and what makes it outstanding, and we’ve already had requests by people who want to come and visit us.

“Bruce gave a 10-minute presentation on our Malverns WorldWide project, which was followed by an exchange of gifts. We presented Mayor Burton with a letter of greetings from our mayor, Cllr Cynthia Palmer.

“The chairman of the borough council was absent so I presented his deputy with a beautifully-framed picture of the Malvern Hills, the gift of the chairman and councillors of Malvern Hills District Council.

“We then received from Duane Milne, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the state flag of Pennsylvania which had flown over the State Capitol in Harrisburg, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Books about Malvern PA were also presented by state senator Andy Dinniman and some local history books were from the Malvern Historical Commission. All these gifts will be handed over to the district council.

“The mayor, the councillors and the residents who we spoke to in Malvern PA are as enthusiastic about the Malverns WorldWide project as is the mayor of Malverne, New York, who we visited last year, and the mayor and the chairman of the district council,” said Mrs Weaver.

Among the plans are the planting of mulberry trees in each town, taken from cuttings of the mulberry tree in Malvern, Victoria, Australia, which was itself a cutting from the tree planted in Priory Park by George Bernard Shaw.

Malvern, Pennsylvania, lies 25 miles west of Philadelphia. It is not known how it acquired its name.