Renfrewshire school kids welcome their Danish twins

It was lights, camera, action this week for young people at Renfrew High as their peers from Denmark visited on a film-making camp.

34 pupils from Skovbrynet School in Gladsaxe, which is twinned with Paisley, met their Scottish counterparts as part of visit to enhance their global learning activities.

The pupils worked together to create a documentary which will help aid learning at the Danish school through a variety of interviews- which were conducted in English to aid the Danish pupils’ language skills.

Following their visit to the school, the pupils had the opportunity to explore their twin town of Paisley before Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron hosted a civic reception for the guests at Lapwing Lodge.

After their visit to Paisley, the school will continue on to Perthshire giving them the chance to experience some of the beautiful Scottish scenery while completing further filming in Blairgowrie

Provost Cameron said: “I am delighted to further our international links by welcoming the students from Gladsaxe to Paisley.

“It’s fantastic for our young people to meet their counterparts from Denmark and discover alternative ways of learning from different cultures.

“Part of our bid for UK City of Culture 2021 involves illustrating the breadth of our culture and our town twinning links are an important part of showcasing our inclusivity.

“We will continue to build on the strong relationship we have developed with Gladsaxe which has already enhanced the learning experiences of our children in Renfrewshire.”

In 1957, the Boys Brigade from Paisley made contact with the FDF Gladsaxe Brass Band in the Danish city and the following year the first school exchange was established between the two areas.

Despite these lengthy links, it was only in 1990 that Paisley and Gladsaxe were officially named twin towns.

Jakob Sundman, Skovbrynet Deputy Head, said: “We were very much looking forward to our visit to Paisley.

“The purpose of our visit is to learn from the Scottish school system, to experience how it is for students to attend school in Scotland and to be curious about how it is to live in another country- but at the same time discover all the things that we have in common.

“We are always looking for partners to exchange learning and education and we hope this visit will be the start of a fruitful relationship with Renfrew High School.”

Paisley has further twin town links with Fürth in Germany and visits have been exchanged between the two towns since its official twinning in 1969.