SIXTEEN pupils and their teachers arrived at a Worcester school to celebrate 30 years of twinning.

RGS Worcester welcomed students from Nantes, making the French exchange one of the longest language exchanges in the country.

To mark the occasion, the headmaster of L’Externat des Enfants Nantais, M Jean-François Guilbaud, also made the trip to Worcester, accompanied by four well-established teachers.

On Friday evening the French guests joined with past and present modern languages teachers for an informal meal; the single toast in a packed and noisy restaurant was to “l’avenir du Jumelage” or the future of the French exchange.

The main event was an official dinner at RGS on Saturday evening, attended by key players who have made the exchange possible over many years. Toasting “friendship”, the headmaster, John Pitt spoke of the ever-greater need for partnership and cooperation between the two countries in the current international climate.

Former RGS French teacher, Mike Vetch, toasted absent friends and talked of the depth and quality of the relationships many of the 3,500 participants in the French exchange had developed over the years.

Finally, some recent and current RGS pupils were able to talk via film to the assembled guests of their memories and the benefits of their own exchanges.