A BRIGHT red English phone box was levered into place in the heart of Windermere's Bavarian twin town Diessen to mark the start of a special English Week, writes Dennis Aris.

On Saturtday the phone box was formally inaugurated by Sheila Ricketts, vice-chairman of Windermere Twinning Association and the first call was made by Mayor Herbert Kirsch to his Windermere counterpart Coun Richard Ogden, chairman of Windermere Parish Council.

The cermony took place at Diessen's special English market, the first market in the town for 25 years, and there were stalls filled with the products from six members of Cumbria Crafts Guild.

English beer (Old Peculiar and Newcastle Brown) was also on sale along with fish and chips and Diessen Old Timers club put on a display of C and E-type Jaguars and older English cars.

Some 15 visitors from Windermere and the lakes are staying with host families to take part in the English Week activities organised by Diessen Twinning Association.

Organised by the Freundeskreis Ammersee-Windermere (Diessen's twinning association), the Chamber of Trade Diessen, the week also featured concerts, exhibitions, youth events, lectures.

During the week Rowan Tree Hill, a group of pupils from a grammar school near Diessen, played folk music from northern England, the Ensemble Lodron played pieces by English and German composers and there was a concert by the Royal Tank Regiment Cambrai Band.

Exhibitions included: Lakeland photos and paintings by Wolfgang Werner about Lakeland; tapestries by Elspeth Orrom, a member of Cumbria Crafts Guild; and English Gothic illuminations.

The film of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park was shown and the windows of the heated indoor swimming pool opened to create a 'Foggy London' fun bathing disco young people.

Others took part in a direct Internet chat between the two towns.

A talk was given on The Lake District and its Poets, and Dr.

Colin Podmore, from London, spoke about cultural differences and similarities.

Throughout the week there were slide shows and films about Windermere and its surroundings.

One memory evoking talk was "Grizedale Hall: Place of a new beginning" when Father Stenger recalled his years in the Grizedale prisoner-of-war camp.

Up to date information about English economy was discussed with Hugh Taylor, British Consul of Commerce in Munich, and Evelyn Blatchley from Windermere.

Members of Windermere Twinning Association travelled over for the opening ceremony and a special Catholic Mass and Anglican service was celebrated by Monsignore Francis Slattery and Rev.

Derek Goddard from Windermere.

A fireworks display will bring the week to a close tomorrow (September 23).