Lord Mayor of Oxford Carole Roberts may invest in some new cushions after spending more than 40 hours sitting in her chauffeur-driven Rover, writes Stephen Deal.

Mrs Roberts, whose term of office ends on Thursday, is recovering from a whistle-stop tour of the city's twins in France, Germany and Holland - all in the space of a week.

The Mayor's hectic itinerary included:

*Travelling from Oxford to Grenoble in southern France

*Heading over the border again to Bonn in Germany *Travelling from Bonn to Leiden in Holland

*Finally heading from Holland back to Oxford

Mrs Roberts, who travelled across Europe with her husband Jimmy and drivers John Yates and May Wylie, said: "I think it was a really useful trip and will help build mutually beneficial links between Oxford and its twin cities." The visit to Grenoble was to celebrate the tenth anniversary of links between the two cities.

Mrs Roberts said: "We wanted to try and pick ideas up from each other and there will be a return visit from Grenoble this week."

Cllr Val Smith will be made the city's new Lord Mayor at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday.

Story date: Saturday 15 May

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