Driving into Hatfield, you will have no doubt noticed the welcome sign naming Zierikzee as our twin town. For a lot of residents though, the story behind that sign has quietly slipped from memory. Hatfield Town Mayor, Councillor Mick Wise, set out to change that during a recent trip, and he did it in just about the most “Mick Wise” way possible… By bicycle.

Mick and his wife Sandra have just returned from a visit to Zierikzee in the Netherlands, having cycled there from the ferry port at Hoek van Holland (a trip that Google says will take about four hours each way, on average!).

The friendship between our two towns goes back more than seventy years. Back in 1953 a devestating North Sea flood swept through the Dutch province of Zeeland and Zierikzee was among the towns hit hardest. Hatfield was instrumental in sending aid to the area and out of that act of kindness a lasting bond was formed. The two towns have been twinned ever since, a connection that held firm even after Zierikzee became part of the wider municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland in 1997.

In recent years that friendship has been kept alive, in part, by Rotary Club Zierikzee, working alongside the local Rotary Club here in Hatfield. After a group of visitors from Zierikzee came to Hatfield last April, Mick and Sandra decided it was time to return the visit in person, and to do it under their own steam.

Mick and Sandra couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome. Members of the Dutch Rotary Club hosted the couple throughout their stay and they were also greeted by Jack van der Hoek, the Mayor of Schouwen-Duiveland. The trip also included a visit to the Watersnoodmuseum, the Flood Museum. There, Director Barbara Oomen told the story of the 1953 disaster in vivid and moving detail, a powerful reminder of why the two towns first came together.

Reflecting on the trip, Cllr Wise said: “Sandra and I would like to thank everyone for the very warm welcome we were given, and for the kind gifts we received. We are grateful to Dick, Marieke, Kees, Leo and all the members of the Rotary Club Zierikzee for making us so welcome, and for keeping the friendship between our two towns alive. We are grateful too to Mayor Jack van der Hoek for taking the time to meet us, and to all the staff at the Hotel Mondragon who helped make our stay so memorable. We left already looking for chances to return.”

Mick and Sandra completed their adventure by cycling back to the ferry, arriving “on time, if just a little damp.”

The Mayor came home full of enthusiasm for the bond between the two towns and keen to see it grow. He has also extended a warm invitation to anyone from Zierikzee who would like to visit us in return.