THIS year will mark the 40th anniversary of Skipton's twinning with German town Simbach am Inn - and town councillors are being asked not to ignore it.

At last week's annual town meeting, councillors were told it will be 40 years in September when a group of civic dignitaries and residents people came from Simbach, in Bavaria, to sign the twinning treaty.

The following year, in 1983, the twinning was sealed when a group from Skipton made the return journey to Simbach.

In 2013, to celebrate 30 years of twinning, Skipton Town Council presented Simbach with a sheep sculpture. The model was one of several making up the Flock to Skipton project, all individually painted and sited around the town. The one sent to Simbach had ended up in the canal, before being rescued, re-painted and transported the 1,000 mile journey to Germany where it took up a position outside Simbach Town Hall.