THE Huddersfield German Circle is still thriving after 86 years.

It began back in 1926 with a group of English people coming together to share their interest in the German language, but then grew rapidly after the Second World War.

The numbers were boosted by German prisoners-of-war who stayed in England after 1945 – with many of them marrying English women.

One, Gunther Reichel, who was held in barracks on Leeds Road in Huddersfield, remains a member of the circle, although he now lives near Bradford.

In the Cold War years of the 1960s there was an influx – especially of au pairs – but since the Berlin Wall came down the numbers arriving have dwindled to virtually nothing.

The organisation says there are “no restrictions on membership, but a reasonable understanding of the German language is essential.’’– as all the meetings are conducted in German.

The group’s co-ordinator is Mrs Marianne Takacs, a native Berliner, who moved to Huddersfield in 1963 and got married two years later.

Now 69, she lives at Salendine Nook, is married to George and they have two children, Marika and Andrea, and two grandchildren Isabel, 13, and Richard, 11.

Marika lives in Germany and is an air stewardess.

Marianne’s earliest memory is of United States planes flying desperately-needed food into West Berlin during the Soviet blockade of 1948-49.

When the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 Marianne was working for a plastics company which employed people from both sides of the city.

She said: “There were 50 people in the factory, half of them from the East.

“They couldn’t come across to work anymore.’’

She moved to Huddersfield as an au pair in 1961 to get away from it all.

After two years here she returned to Germany for a short time and then came back in 1963 to marry.

She has had various jobs in the town as bilingual secretary – with a specialism in German – and exams officer at Kirklees College.

And she is a very proud Berliner too.

“It is a wonderful, brilliant city,” she said.

“I go back there quite regularly – it’s a really lively place.

“There are plenty of interesting things to see and obviously you can now go into the eastern part of the city.

“The wall is no more – and it’s really opened up the place.”

Marianne added: “There were lots of au pairs in those days and I came in 1961, settled and have worked very hard to integrate. We have lost quite a lot. We don’t have people coming here any more. It seemed to end in the late 1990s.’’