Recklinghausen to Preston

Building Bridges Through Music

When the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the City of Recklinghausen was invited to perform in Preston, there was one significant logistical challenge to solve: how could all the instruments needed by the 40-player orchestra be transported safely from Germany to the UK?

The visit was part of a much bigger celebration. In 2026, Preston and Recklinghausen marked 70 years of their twinning partnership, one of the earliest post-war town partnerships between the UK and Germany. Established in 1956, the relationship was built on friendship, understanding and peace, and has continued through decades of cultural exchanges, civic visits, educational links and personal connections.

As an international company with strong local teams across Europe, MCFT immediately saw an opportunity to help.

Finding a way to support the orchestra

The initial conversations were straightforward: the orchestra had the opportunity to take part in a special performance in Preston, but moving such a large collection of instruments across Europe required careful planning and practical support.

MCFT Deutschland is part of the North Rhine-Westphalia community, and our team is always keen to support local people, organisations and businesses. When we were asked whether we could help with the transport, we jumped at the chance.

The German and UK teams began working together to plan the route and make sure every stage of the journey was covered. A packing test was completed to confirm that the instruments could be loaded safely, while Luisa coordinated the arrangements across the teams.

It was a relatively simple contribution, but an important one. Without the instruments, there could be no concert.

The journey from Germany to the UK

Markus’s journey from Recklinghausen > Maidenhead > Preston

Markus with Chris and George at Maidenhead HQ

Following the orchestra’s final rehearsal in Recklinghausen, Markus collected the instruments and began the journey to the UK.

The route took him from Recklinghausen to Calais, before crossing through the Channel Tunnel with LeShuttle Freight and continuing from Folkestone to MCFT’s UK headquarters in Maidenhead.

After catching up with members of the UK team, Markus was joined by MCFT founder Chris Craggs for the final leg of the journey. Together, they travelled north from Maidenhead to Preston, where the instruments were safely reunited with the musicians ahead of the performance.

Two Cities, One Symphony

With the instruments safely delivered, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the City of Recklinghausen joined Preston Symphony Orchestra for Two Cities, One Symphony at the Guild Hall Atrium.

Held as part of Preston’s Encounter Festival, the one-night performance brought musicians of different ages and nationalities together for a varied programme of classical music, film scores, musical theatre and popular favourites.

The celebration extended beyond the concert, with the visiting musicians joining the Encounter Festival street procession. The Mayor of Recklinghausen also took a turn conducting during the celebrations. At the concert, Land of Hope and Glory was reprised for the encore and was warmly received by the musicians and audience.

It was a fitting celebration of a partnership that has connected two cities across generations.

Music as a universal language

Reflecting on the weekend, Chris described music as a universal language and an ideal way to bring people together.

The world continues to become smaller and easier to share. Although countries and communities will always have their differences, projects like this provide a valuable reminder of how much we have in common, and how many reasons there are to work together and celebrate those connections.

For MCFT, that message has particular meaning. We are an international company, but every part of our business is built around local people, local relationships and collaboration between teams. We are passionate about connecting Europe, building bridges between communities and creating opportunities for people to work together across borders.

This project brought that principle to life. A local orchestra in Recklinghausen needed support. Our German and UK teams combined their knowledge and resources to solve the challenge. The result was not simply a completed delivery, but a shared experience involving musicians, orchestras and two cities celebrating 70 years of friendship.

Continuing the exchange

We would like to thank Markus for completing the journey, Luisa for coordinating the arrangements, Chris for joining the final stage, and everyone from the orchestras, Preston City Council, Recklinghausen and MCFT who helped make the weekend possible.

We would be very happy to support future exchanges travelling in the other direction too. If another community group or organisation is facing a cross-border logistical challenge, we would be pleased to explore whether MCFT can help.

Seven decades after Preston and Recklinghausen first formed their partnership, their friendship continues to bring people together. We were delighted to play a small part in helping its music travel from one city to the other.