THE mayor and mayoress were today set to travel to Saltzgitter to help Swindon's twin town celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Councillor David Cox and Jenny Dean have been invited by the Saltzgitter mayor, Helmut Kenoble, for a five-day trip to the town with which Swindon has been twinned for 25 years.

Coun Cox said: "Saltzgitter came into being in 1942 and as Swindon is one of the towns it has been twinned with, we've been invited.

"This trip is about keeping the links between the two towns and strengthening links with the mayor.

"It will bring people from around the world together and I am looking forward to seeing old friends again."

His partner, Jenny Dean, said she was looking forward to a varied programme of visiting the sites of the town, meeting the people and opening a railway bridge.

She said: "It will be nice to have a break but of course it will be a working break with a full itinerary. We have dinners with lots of different people, we'll be going to Berlin for a day and opening a railway bridge."

"The mayors of Saltzgitter have been here a couple of times so it will be nice to be go back and see the town where they work. It's my first trip to Saltzgitter and I am really looking forward to it because the celebrations are going to be big."