HUNDREDS of letters have been exchanged between a Barnsley woman and her French pen pal in a friendship spanning more than 65 years.
Cynthia Barnes, 79, of Redbrook, started writing to her friend from across the English Channel, Annie Pallain, whilst she was at secondary school.
She reminisced about how she travelled to Paris on her own, despite not speaking any French, and boarded a train to meet Annie.
“School asked us if we’d want to start writing to someone in France that was around our age and I said yes,” Cynthia said.
“I’ve still been writing to her for the last 65 years - she’s from an area in France called Navarre.
“I’ve been over to see her a few times and we’ve been good friends ever since.”
