City welcomes visitors from sister city

Hannah Currie from Marlborough, England, checks out an antique doll house with local Marlborough resident Katie Hodge during a reception at the Peter Rice Homestead Oct 29. ANGELA GREINER Marlborough - Although the city may not boast a 15th-century cathedral or the widest High Shopping Street in England, residents visiting from the sister city of Marlborough, England, said during a reception held in their honor that the Marlborough in Massachusetts is "absolutely fabulous."

"I love your accents and your postboxes," 12-yearold Eilish Cooling said. "We don't have those at home."

Cooling is one of the eight Girl Guides (the United Kingdom's version of Girl Scouts) visiting the city as part of an annual exchange program between the two communities. Also accompanying the girls is a group of 18 adult chaperones and community members.

For 12 years, the city of Marlborough, through connections with both the Historical Society arranged by Peggy Ayers and the Girl Scouts with Ginny O'Neil, has been welcoming residents from England as part of an exchange program. The groups have also reciprocated the exchange, sending local groups annually to stay with families in England.

Representing the city at the Peter Rice Homestead Oct. 29 were City Councilors Arthur Vigeant and Patricia Pope. The reception drew about 100 local residents.

"It is overwhelming to see the response. It is really nice to meet the people from our sister city," Pope said. "The Marlborough Historical Society has done a great job keeping our two communities connected. It is our turn to go next."

In many respects Marlborough, England, which is a village of 6,500 residents bordering the River Kennet, is a world apart from the bustling, fast-paced city of Marlborough, Mass.

Assistant troop leader Sally Shepherd referred to by her girls as "Bo Peep" and said that this has been an unbelievable experience for them. Marlborough is a small village, she said, and you can walk from one side to the other in 30 minutes. Girl Guides is a movement about empowering women, she explained, and this trip has given the girls such a powerful message about other cultures.

"You are the most generous people," Shepherd said.

Group leader Laura Beattie, who arranged the trip with O'Neil, said she does so because it is such a fantastic experience for the girls. She explained that participating in Girl Guides teaches the fundamentals of good morals and values and, through this trip, the girls get to see other cultures embracing the same values.

Over the course of the trip, the girls will stay with local host families, attend schools and visit Marlborough historical sights, as well as visit places like Salem and New York City.

"Life is so much faster here than back home. You would just never go somewhere as far as New York City for the weekend," Beattie said.

As the girls giggled about their favorite pop stars, compared style trends and made plans for their new American friends to visit in the spring, the adult leaders discussed the history of the city and the political climate of the country.

Hannah Currie, 10, who is the youngest traveler, said that here is not so diff erent from home - the kids she has met have all been nice and the food tastes good, although she did point out one diff erence: all of the leaves changing color.