Partners in Sport and Trade ─ Finnish and British paper mill collaboration over three decades

Soon after the end of the Second World War, Mr Juuso Walden, CEO of United Paper Mills set up a games contest for employees of the Albert Reed paper mill in Aylesford and the United Paper Mills of Finland. A collaborative exhibition between Finland and Maidstone, telling the story of these games, has been opened at the Maidstone Museum.

Photo: Maidstone Museum

The games were made up of three disciplines: a cross country race, a relay race and a soccer match.

Games contests for the employees were held throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s and alternated between being held on the Cobdown Sports Ground in Aylesford and grounds in Finland.

"After the Second World War, when life was austere both in the UK and in Finland and when we were experiencing the tense years of the Cold War, this kind of international, broad-based, grass-root level interaction was a very rare phenomena", Ambassador Pekka Huhtaniemi highlighted in his speech at the exhibition opening.

"More than half-a-century has now elapsed since the last of these Games, but many veterans of the Games are still with us both in Finland and here in Kent", told the Ambassador. "During the preparations of this exhibition we have noticed that many strong, pleasant memories are still very much alive in the minds of those who were privileged to participate in these unique encounters", he concluded.

The exhibition runs from 3rd June until 20th July 2014, and is accompanied by recorded memories from local people.

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