A DIAMOND wedding couple said they were 'treated like royals' during a double anniversary celebration with one of Bridgwater's twin towns.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of twinning between Bridgwater and La Ciotat in the south of France, but also the 60th wedding anniversary of twinning stalwarts Derek and Doreen Alder.

So it was only fitting that at the end of last month a delegation of ten people headed by the mayor of Bridgwater, Graham Granter, travelled to La Ciotat for a weekend of celebrations.

"It was a fantastic day, we were treated like Royals" Mrs Alder said. "Our hosts held a special Provencal Wedding Ceremony, with dancers, amazing flowers and a spectacular wedding cake of profiteroles and caramel."

The ceremony was officiated by Mireille Benedetti, La Ciotat's deputy mayor, as Doreen and Derek renewed their wedding vows.

"It was a beautiful day for it too, although wearing a suit in 30C heat was hard work," Mr A lder said.

"The ceremony was lovely, we were very moved when one of the singers did a rendition of 'You Raise Me Up'," Mrs Alder added.

Following the ceremony the wedding party headed to the Bastide de Marin for a celebratory meal.

The original Twinning Charter was signed by Bridgwater mayor Oscar Coates and La Ciotat mayor Jean Graille on June 23, 1957, and it is one of the oldest and longest lasting in Europe.

During the celebrations an exhibition of photographs spanning the 60 years was on display in the Galerie du Port.

Mr and Mrs Alder have been involved in the twinning society for forty years and said they have made lifelong friends through twinning. Some friends we have met in years gone by travelled from Paris and St Etienne to come to the ceremony," Mrs Alder said.

Mr Alder explained that for many years La Ciotat was primarily known as a shipbuilding town, but this largely died out in the 1980's, and it wasn't until the early 2000's that the marina area was transformed with companies specialising in fixing and repairing luxury yachts.

A return visit will be made in November when members of the La Ciotat twinning committee will come to Bridgwater for a reaffirmation of the charter and to enjoy Bridgwater Carnival.