Twinning Information

More about the American Broomfield

The City of Broomfield, Colorado, USA offers a prime location, situated within the north metro area between Denver and Boulder along U.S. 36/Boulder Turnpike up to the north I-25 corridor, beyond Colorado. It is a short 20-minute drive to both Denver and Boulder, and less than 40 minutes to Denver International Airport.

The City's mission is “to work in partnership with the community to provide excellent services in an efficient, respectful, and courteous manner to enhance and protect the environment and quality of life of Broomfield citizens.” Broomfield became a City and County, in November of 2001, it is the newest in Colorado State and one of the newest cities in the USA.

To visit the City and County of Broomfield, Colorado's own informative web site, please click here.

October 2009 Report from the Broomfield Twinning Group by the Group Coordinator, Tony Skinner.

I thought that before giving a progress report from the Group it would be an advantage to give a brief history of our Twinning link with our sister City of Broomfield, Colorado in the USA. The idea of Twinning communities across the world was instigated back in the mid 1980’s by a previous US President in the White House at that time. Two enterprising Ladies from Broomfield, Colorado took up this idea and got on their bikes ,no an aircraft actually, and visited Broomfield place names. The Chairman Kevin Staff and his council members entertained these envoys and some links where made culminating in a Proclamation which was drawn up and to this day hangs in St Margaret's Church in Broomfield, with copies in the Village Hall and I believe in the local School. This Proclamation invites us to participate in a programme of Friendship and Communication with our namesake in the USA.

The first communication was a private visit that I made in the early 1990’s to be met and entertained by the Ladies, and their husbands, who had visited us in England to start the Twinning. At an informal garden B,B,Q I was able to meet the Mayor and some of the council members. I was given a tour of their City and met a number of the local people. Everywhere I was welcomed and even interviewed by the Broomfield Enterprise the local newspaper who later printed an article about my visit and the differences between the now Twinned Cities or as they would say “ Sister Cities “. At the end of my short visit I was invited to return to stay with a couple who had a cabin in the Rockies not that far from Broomfield on a further visit. This I did in the following year and have made other trips to see them also with a request that they should visit me here in Broomfield Kent. This they did and they made other visits to me bringing other USA Broomfield friends as well.

I am now pleased to relate that recent Parish Councils have encouraged this Twinning and formed a dedicated group, to foster this idea the Twinning Group was established in 2005, the progress of this is reported below.

1. Letters of greeting sent by the Parish Council to the Mayor of Broomfield USA.

2. Links made by members of the Twinning Group to a reading group in Broomfield USA, books exchanged and some personal links made by Jean Scott .

3. Invitation received from Mayor Karen Stuart to write a guest article for the local press in Broomfield USA. This was duly done and the article published in the paper.

4. A book of local photographs compiled by Fay Rouse of the group and sent to the Mayor in Broomfield.

5. Visit made to the Boy Scout World Jamboree in Chelmsford by Tony Skinner and Jane Newsome to greet a group of USA Scouts some of whom live in Broomfield USA. Two Photographs received and several other items from the Mayor and people of their City.

6. Two couples from Broomfield USA invited and hosted for a couple of weeks here in Broomfield, by Suzanne Orchin and Tony Skinner. These couples were entertained by the Twinning Group who with them made many local trips meeting residents. They were invited on a guided tour of Leeds Castle and to meet the prospective, Mayor of Maidstone, at that time Peter Parvin at the Town Hall for a tour of the building. On departure they were presented with a painting of Leeds Castle by Mr Parvin.

7. As a result of the visit the School in Kingswood now has pen friends in our Sister City through the good works by one of the recent visitors Neola Roberts from the USA.

Tony Skinner
Group Coordinator
October 2009

Thorneycroft Close, Kingswood circa 2000	Broomfield, CO, USA with the distant Rocky Mountains
	In Summer 2007, the Twinning Committee have worked on designing a new village sign to indicate the link between the two places. On the left is the proposed final design chosen which will be made into road signs and then be erected at the four road entrances into the parish. But we want YOUR views!! Please click here for more information.