Bonn. The city authorities and Stadtsportbund Bonn (SSB) have signed a cooperation agreement to promote sport development in Bonn. The contract was signed on Friday by Mayor Katja Dörner, Head of Sports and Culture Birgit Schneider-Bönninger and SSB Chairwoman Ute Pilger.

The new contract extends the existing sports promotion contract and is initially valid until 31 December 2023. It will be prolonged by two years at a time - provided none of the cooperation partners objects. The new contract primarily regulates the activities and projects already implemented by the SSB in part, but which do not concern organised sport. Rather, it is all about social, health and sport-related services.

The paper sets out a total of eight goals and key topics that the SSB and the city want to implement together: a sustainability concept for sport in Bonn, getting more children and young people moving in their social environment, creating cooperation between clubs, schools and nurseries, promoting competitive sport, optimising the use of sports halls, making the range of sports on offer more inclusive, developing a sports-related mission statement for the city and expanding the range of sports on offer in public spaces.

The SSB is currently looking at three projects based on suggestions from politicians: the introduction of a skate night like in Münster, the open tournament ‘Liga 2.0’ for footballers and a possible equivalent to ‘Sport in the Park’ in sports centres.

“Overall, I think that the cooperation agreement is a very, very big step forward for sport in Bonn,” says Seibert. However, the interests of the sports clubs should not take a backseat when aiming to make Bonn sportier. “We will not neglect our original tasks as a result,” she says. (Original text: Sabrina Bauer)

Bonn.In Bonn and across the continent, May stands for Europe. On Saturday, 7 May, the city is celebrating Europe Day in the Old Town Hall and on the market square under the banner ‘Stories of Europe - Show me your Europe’. Local associations and organisations will be giving out information about the activities organised in Bonn to promote and strengthen European friendship. All are invited to come down and take part from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event will be officially opened at 12 noon by Mayor Katja Dörner and Patrick Lobis, Deputy Head of Representation of the European Commission in Germany and Interim Head of Regional Representation in Bonn. A programme of events will be taking place on the market square throughout the day. Children can discover more about Europe by painting European flags, climbing the European pyramid and taking part in other hands-on activities.

However, “this year, the terrible war in Ukraine will be sure to cast a shadow over the event and also feature in the programme, speeches, talks and stage performances,” the city authorities say. The organisations want to use this event under the European flag to show that in times like these, it is even more important to be united and to stand up for peace, freedom and human rights.

More information about Europe Day in Bonn can be found (in German) at: www.bonn.de/europatag (Original text: bot)

Bonn. The German Cyclists Federation (ADFC), the German Motor Club (VCD) and the initiative ‘Radentscheid’ are making a joint appeal to the city authorities, business associations and road users to see the closure of the motorway exits to Reuterstraße as an opportunity. From November, the exits from both directions are to be closed for two and a half years to renew the road surface and drainage and to erect noise barriers. The ADFC, VCD and Radentscheid say that better services must be set up for buses, trains and cycling in order to counteract the strain caused by the diversion of motorised traffic. They suggest temporary Park & Ride car parks, special buses and temporary cycle paths. Similar to the Chamber of Commerce and the Retailers' Association, they consider a task force necessary to discuss proposals.

Meanwhile, in view of the planned closure, the electoral group 'Bürger Bund Bonn' is demanding a postponement of the planned conversions to environmental lanes on Hermann-Wandersleb-Ring and Oxfordstraße. (Original text: kph)

Ahrtal. Many walkers were out and about in the Ahr valley yesterday, marking the start of the second weekend of the ‘Wandern für den Wiederaufbau’ (hiking for reconstruction). The number of visitors in the morning was modest, as temperatures remained cool. But when the sun finally emerged from behind the clouds on Saturday afternoon, people came in droves. The packed buses and rail replacement services showed that many had parked further afield or took the Ahrtalbahn straight to Walporzheim.

The Red Wine Hiking Trail was especially popular. Visitors sampled Ahr wine and culinary delights at the food stands between Altenahr and Dernau, operated by local businesses from the valley. Children enjoyed a colourful programme of activities. Both the visitors and hosts were pleased with the start of the second hiking weekend. Once again, many SolidAHRity ribbons and glasses were purchased. Numerous hikers were also seen on the AhrSteig on the south side. Following the floods last year, this long-distance hiking trail is fully open again. (Original text: wbe) (Translations: Caroline Kusch)