Ross Town Council, Ross Lions & The Twinning
Ross Town Council officially ratified the link between Ross-on-Wye and Namutumba in 2007 and new entry signs to the town proclaiming that Ross was twinned with Namutumba were erected in 2011. The Mayor of Ross is in touch with his/her counterpart in Uganda on a regular basis and takes an interest in the Twinning Partnership. The Mayor also welcomes Ugandan guests when they visit Ross.
Similarly, the Mayor of Namutumba and the Town Council take a keen interest in the twinning partnership and have participated in their own link with Ross Lions. They have bought cleaning equipment, employed a rubbish collection team and bought 4acres of land to construct an organised landfill area for the town’s growing rubbish problem. They too welcome guests from Ross-on-Wye ceremonially.
Ross Town Councillor, Jane Roberts, takes an active role on the Twinning Committee and has been to Uganda several times through her link with Gloucestershire University.
As part of the twinning, several small groups of adults have been to Namutumba to gain ideas and oversee the projects that are continuing. It is hoped that more will follow.
Also, the Ross-Namutumba Link Organisation has taken part in a joint venture with other charities to open a local charity shop called “Rethreads” which is currently sited in The Crofts. Friends of the link and the local community have generously donated goods for sale and the first Namutumba based project to be assisted is the Disability Group.
The Disability Group has been set up to assist disabled people in Namutumba, especially children , who otherwise would not receive help. The RNLO has been able to channel funds to them so that they can continue with the vocational workshops that they had started, making clothes for sale and also to help build a school for able and disabled children, thus receiving fees. Both projects will help them become more self-sustainable.