Sir – One of my last duties as Lord Mayor was to represent the city of Oxford at the remembrance day ceremony in Leiden, our twin town in the Netherlands.

It is celebrated each year on May 4, the date on which Hitler’s forces surrendered to the allies near Leiden. It was a solemn and moving occasion, as is our Remembrance Sunday.

Once the official wreaths had been laid down in front of the memorial, all the spectators also filed past, over 1,000 of them, some representing local groups and organisations of all kinds, including students, people with disabilities and gay groups, some with family members, young and old.

Some had wreaths or garden flowers, but many just filed past, to pay their respects to the people who died in the Second World War and other wars and conflicts. I’m told that each year more people come. Many of them say that they come in support of peace and harmony and to make a stand against war and intolerance.

One of the best things about having twinning links is so that we can learn from one another and I would like to see if we can arrange for this kind of public participation at our own Remembrance Sunday ceremony in St Giles.

Susanna Pressel, Lord Mayor of Oxford