Chairman of Aberdeen YMCA, Mike Will, attended the ceremony with colleagues from Aberdeen YMCA to collect the ‘City Partnership Prize’ from Hans Schaidinger, Lord Mayor of Regensburg. The ceremony took place in the Old Town House in Regensburg on the occasion of its annual ‘City Freedom Day’. The prize can be awarded every two years and is presented for outstanding service to the town twinning relationship between both cities. In presenting the award, the Lord Mayor of Regensburg said: "This award is for making a substantial contribution to relations between our two cities and is a model for partnership, peace and communication between people. It is a real honour for me to honour YMCA with this award".
The YMCA partnership, initiated in 1994 by Mr Will, has witnessed both YMCAs engaging in over twenty exchange projects with each other to promote relations between the UK and Germany. The YMCA partnership is the longest surviving partnership of all twinning partnerships supported by Aberdeen City Council and have strengthened relationships between 1000 young people, volunteers, staff and trustees of both YMCAs.
In 2005, the YMCA was invited by Aberdeen City Council to organise an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of twinning between both cities. Members of both YMCAs symbolically cycled 2000km by tandem from Regensburg to Aberdeen to mark the anniversary. A reverse tandem cycle from Aberdeen to Regensburg is planned for the 60th anniversary in 2015.
Mike Will said: "having led the exchanges between our two YMCAs over the last 20 years, it has been a real pleasure to promote the fostering of international understanding and the furthering of social and cultural links between our two cities. YMCA, as the largest youth organisation in the world, is well placed to empower young people with such opportunities and we are grateful to the support we have received from Aberdeen City Council over the last two decades to realise this potential. It was a real honour for our YMCA’s programme to be recognised with such an award and it is right to attribute some of this recognition to our local council for its ongoing support".
Chief Executive of Aberdeen YMCA, Ian Marr commenting on the partnership between both YMCAs said: "Young People from Regensburg have also regularly visited Aberdeen where they have experienced the best of North East hospitality and even picked up a little Doric".
On the motion by North East Scotland MSP Richard Baker, the Scottish Parliament congratulated Aberdeen YMCA on being awarded this prize. Richard Baker MSP said: "this is quite a feather in the cap and good news for the YMCA".
Other congratulations on receiving the award of the city of Regensburg were offered by Verena Gräfin von Roedern, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Edinburgh. Miss Roedern said: "I am very pleased to see that the friendship between Aberdeen and Regensburg continues to thrive. In providing work and activities that develop bilateral dialogue, the YMCA strengthens German-Scottish ties and peaceful community relations in the European Union.
