Vyronas Friendship Agreement

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We previously announced that in October 2021, the leader of Nottingham City Council Cllr David Mellen and the mayor of Vyronas municipality Mr Grigoris Katopodis would be signing a friendship agreement between the two areas, owing to Lord Byron’s connection to Nottingham and a Greek municipality, named after him.

This announcement can be seen on the My Nottingham News portal: https://www.mynottinghamnews.co.uk/nottinghams-connection-to-byron-forges-greek-friendship/

The signing of the agreement took place in two separate signing ceremonies, one in Vyronas and one in Nottingham City Council.

Pictured below is: Vice-Mayor Mrs Klonari Lemonia (left), Mayor of Vyronas municipality Mr Grigoris Katopodis (centre) and Mr Panos Trigazis (right)

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Below we have a video of Cllr Mellen, the Leader of Nottingham City Council, and photos of the ceremony held at Nottingham City Council to share with you to celebrate this newly established friendship agreement.

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The friendship agreement focuses on Lord Byron as an important personality for both Nottingham citizens as well as the Greek people. Key aims going forward will be to encourage information sharing between the two areas on key cultural events related to Lord Byron and a collaboration in the production of digital assets relating to the history of Newstead Abbey. Further plans may include celebrations for the bicentenary of the death of Lord Byron in 2024, subject to a successful grant or fundraising programme.

The municipality of Vyronas started as a refugee settlement bordering Athens at the outskirts of Hymettus mountain. The neighbourhood was established bearing the name of Byron in April 1924, which marked the centenary of the death of the romantic poet in Messologhi, Greece.

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Leader of Nottingham City Council, Cllr David Mellen said: “Our friendship agreement will focus primarily on Lord Byron, as an important personality for both Nottingham as well as the Greek people, and as we share digital assets and information relating to key cultural events, I hope that our friendship will grow with strength.”

“Nottingham City Council owns and operates Newstead Abbey, Byrons ancestral home, as a popular heritage venue, and it is hoped that the friendship agreement signed can help further promote it is as an area which also has a strong appreciation for Lord Byron.”

Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, Cllr Eunice Campbell-Clark, said: “After the opening of Nottingham Castle and a number of successful exhibitions by our museums department, including the Titus is King T-rex exhibition at Wollaton this summer, it’s great to open more opportunities for cultural work in our city by striking this friendship agreement with Vyronas municipality.”

Nottingham City Council’s Executive Assistant for Planning and Heritage, Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis, who has led on the friendship agreement on behalf of Nottingham City Council said: “As a person of Greek heritage as well as a Nottingham person I am really proud to be able to witness this historic moment. This friendship agreement is a great way to celebrate a part of our shared history.”

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Newstead Abbey

Interested to know more about Newstead Abbey, the home of Lord Byron and inspiration for many of his poems.

We have a dedicated Newstead Abbey website, as part of Nottingham City Museums, where you can learn about visiting the Historic House and annual activities relating to Lord Byron, including the Byron-a-than on the 31st October 2021.

Go to Newstead Abbey

As further information on key cultural events related to Lord Byron is shared between these two friended regions, we will keep you updated on this Nottingham City Museums website.

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