This month, Torus welcomed six delegates from St Helens' twin town of Stuttgart in Germany. The delegates from the Stuttgart City Council made up of elected members and council officers visited St Helens last week where deputy mayor Peter Pätzold toured five very different Torus supported living schemes in the town, each showcasing the significant work and positive impact Torus and St Helens Council have done in partnership to improve the opportunities for people living in the borough.

The tour which is part of a series of events from main hosts, St Helens Council, saw the Stuttgart delegates visit Champions Court and Egerton Street which helps people break the cycle of homelessness, Stadium View which supports people with low-level mental health, Foundry Wharf over 55s Extra Care Scheme, and Heathside a new cluster living scheme for people with learning disabilities due to open later this summer.

Torus Supported Housing and Domestic Abuse Operations Manager, Kayleigh Archbold, said:

“It was great to welcome the visitors to the town and we were all very proud to show them all the different Torus supported living schemes and how they help different types of people.

“The visitors spoke directly to customers, like Brian who proudly showed them around his new home on Egerton Street, explaining his journey of homelessness and the new opportunities he has had since moving out of a hostel and into his own flat, including access to his children and independent living skills as well as his hopes for the future.

“At Foundry Wharf, staff and residents showed them the building and took part in an exciting game of Boogie Bingo, all the delegates were impressed with the scheme and the work on site. The residents gifted the delegates with glass paperweights made at World of Glass.

“Overall, it was a very positive and engaging trip.”

The tour was finished off with a visit to the Town Hall, where the delegates gave the hosts a gift of t-shirts designed by exchange students visiting Cowley High School.

Commenting on his visit to St Helens, Deputy Mayor of Stuttgart City Council, Peter Pätzold, said:

"We're very happy to be back in St Helens again, receiving such a warm welcome from our friends. It's a great friendship and partnership we have with St Helens. The last few years have shown us how important it is to have friends in Europe to stand together, learn from each other and I like to be here in St Helens - it's nice here with nice people.

"We saw a lot of things here like the housing at Foundry Wharf. This was very interesting, and the older people gave us a warm welcome and we played song bingo. I like it here.”

St Helens became the first town in Europe to take part in a town-twinning following WWII when in 1948, three years after the war ended, the town was paired with Stuttgart, to help them rebuild as one of the leading manufacturers of glass at the time.