To be dubbed a “Social Media Star” by the BBC is something. Henry Artelt has become something of a little celebrity in Leverkusen’s English twin town Bracknell.
It started three years ago when Schlebuscher the Friends of Bracknell-Leverkusen has joined. Artelt, now 77 years old, wanted to polish up his English. He traveled to Great Britain with the Freundeskreis in 2019 and took part in the “table talk”, where he can practice the language well. When he found a Bracknell group on Facebook, he thought: “I’ll just write something in there.” Artelt explains that he has always been active in social networks. Facebook, Whatsapp, that’s fun for him.
Thousands read his posts
He introduced himself, told something about Leverkusen – and 38,000 members of the group read along. Five or six first posts, 1,500 likes: Henry Artelt was pleased with the response and went on chatting, for example he asked about the English lawn and other topics, he says at home on the phone.
At one point the BBC approached him and asked if he could give an interview. On the radio, in English. “That’s not my mother tongue, you’re a bit inhibited,” admits the pensioner with a laugh. “I was terribly excited.” But the radio presenter was enthusiastic, and shortly afterwards his colleagues from television also got in touch. Artelt recorded a short video for them, where he walks across Bracknell Square in Opladen and holds his smartphone on the red telephone box. It has been on the BBC website since May.
Schlebuscher, who was born in Goslar and has been at home in Leverkusen for more than 30 years, wants to further intensify contact with the British. He feels that a meeting once a year is too little, he emphasizes. He wants to keep in touch more through social media, has started a pen friendship with a Londoner and is also brimming with ideas on how to keep up the connection across the English Channel. If the British are no longer in the EU and if Corona makes the exchange more difficult, you can maintain contacts over the Internet, says the 77-year-old – and continues to submit.
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