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 | | Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 06:33 GMT Wiltshire's greetings to Finland  Tornio is on the Swedish border People in a Wiltshire town are celebrating 84 years of independence - Finland's independence that is. Smoked reindeer will be on the menu, candles will be put in windows and the compositions of Sibelius will be played in Devizes on Thursday. The town is the only place in the the UK to be twinned with a Finnish town. Its links with the Lapland town of Tornio stretch back 15 years and began because both towns feature in reknowned canoe races. 'Freedom valued' Twinning organiser Tony Duck said they would be sending an e-mail greeting to their friends in Scandanavia. "It is a very important day to them. It was when they got independence from Russia and they value their freedom greatly. "The party will a chance for people to get together and a way of introducing people to Finnish culture." He said Finnish food such as salmon, smoked reindeer and rice bread with egg butter will served.
Finland is a relatively new country, created when it was given independence from the Soviet Union in 1917. Until the early 19th Century it had been part of Sweden. On 6 December each year the Finnish quietly celebrate their independence. People put two candles in their windows - one which represents freedom and the other which represents national unity. Devizes and Tornio have a common bond as they are both end points of gruelling canoe races. The Wiltshire town is the starting point of the Devizes to Westminster non-stop marathon taking in canals and the River Thames. Tornio is the finishing point of the Artic canoe race and each year there is a prize for the canoeist who completes the two courses quickest. Mr Duck said: "Most of the Finnish towns have sister cities, it is a widespread thing for them. "I think it is important for them in Tornio as they do feel a bit isolated up there on the roof of Europe." | | Internet links:  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top England stories now:  Links to more England stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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