THERE will be plenty more "golden moments" for a Wee County twinning association as they prepare to welcome French visitors once again.

Dollar Twinning Association is set to give a warm Scottish welcome to visitors from the twin town of La Ville-aux-Dames in the Loire Valley this July.

The association is still going strong after some 40 years, despite a recent dip in events due to the Covid.

However, on July 27, French visitors will return to Clacks for a week full of activities, with the public invited to a ceilidh on August 2 at Dollar Academy Hall.

Over the week, they will take part in a treasure hunt around the town, a Burns supper, outings to Kinross, Loch Leven, a distillery, the highlands and more.

Gill Gibson, chair of Dollar Twinning Association, told the Advertiser about the past few difficult years.

She is, however, filled with optimism as the association, which started in 1981, has survived a difficult period.

Gill said: "The last few years has been difficult as Covid caused a break in the regular flow of visitors from Dollar to Ville-aux-Dames and back again.

"We also haven't escaped an ebbing of interest as members of our group grow older and the excitement and optimism I associate with Europe has faded.

"But this year, like swallows from the south, they are back.

"One swallow may not make a summer, but one trip from Ville-aux-Dames does make a party, and we're looking forward to greeting old friends and new on July 27 to August 3 and piping them in to a ceilidh on August 2 to say farewell and haste ye back."

The visitors will also put on a French evening and it will all culminate in a Scottish ceilidh on Wednesday, August 2, at Dollar Academy Hall where all are invited to join in.

Starting at 7pm, tickets to the event cost £5 and can be picked up at Dollar's Deli or on the door.

The event is kindly being sponsored by the EDF Renewables Burnfoot Wind Farms Community Fund.

The twinning arrangement has been going for more than 40 years and Gill, who moved to Dollar five years ago, spoke of the benefits.

She continued: "Every year we alternate the roles of visitor and host, as hosts showing our visitors our language and culture and usually giving them respite from the hot dry summer they are enjoying.

"The next year we travel as a group to France and are greeted at the town's 'mairie', or town hall, and get to experience life in their town.

"Both experiences are golden moments, from watching the delight at a piper greeting French visitors to the farewell ceilidh to watching in amazement as one of our group knows all the old French songs and is singing along on a warm terrace with, it has to be said, a bottle

of the local wine."

Those interested can find Dollar Twinning on Facebook for more details.