A LONG-serving former councillor flew the flag for Wear Valley in the district's twin town in Germany.
Chris Foote-Wood and his wife, Frances, paid a visit to Bad Oeynhausen to mark his 40 years as a district councillor and 30 years since he helped inaugurate the twinning.
As chairman of Wear Valley District Council in 1976 and 1977, Coun Foote-Wood hosted the first delegation from Germany and chaired the first meeting that led to the town twinning agreement with Bad Oeynhausen.
Thirty years on, at a ceremony attended by members of the town twinning Partnerschaft, he and Burgermeister Klaus Mueller-Zahlmann added the Union flag to those of other nations in the town's Platz des Europarats.
"I was very proud and pleased to be asked to raise the Union Flag in our German twin town," said Coun Foote-Wood, who did not contest this month's local council elections and made the visit at his own expense.
"I have always supported town twinning so people from different countries can to get to know one another and so increase international understanding."
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