The CSTA was formally established in 1992 with the aims of establishing cultural and social links through mutual exchanges. The towns are quite similar in their industrial enterprises and in their geographical locations, Calderdale being situated in the Pennines whilst Strakonice is located near the Sumava mountains.

A visit normally takes place every year, one town visiting the other every two years. The Calderdale members usually visit in the even years when Strakonice is host to an International Bagpipe Festival which is held throughout the town during the last weekend of August.

For incoming visits the Strakonice members are placed with local members and so enjoy a British life-style for the length of their stay. But it has been the aim of the Association to incorporate into an incoming visit a trip to another part of the country, both to give the hosts a respite from the activity of hosting but also to allow our Strakonice friends the chance to see other parts of the country. Hence we have visited Edinburgh and Loch Lomond, the Lake District, Wales (we were actually in Shrewsbury for the eclipse of the sun!), the East Coast (Scarborough and Whitby). Manchester, Liverpool and York have all been destinations in the  various itineraries because they are not too far away from Calderdale. The diversity of ethnic cultures in Calderdale has also allowed us to show our visitors the challenges which face us.

On our visits to Strakonice we too are placed within a family but also enjoy the opportunity to meet socially, either for an evening function or on a day trip. Initially members went to visit Prague as a highlight but in recent years the venues have become very varied. Cesky Krumlov (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) remains a favourite but visits have taken members to Tabor, Jindrichuv Hradec,Ceske Budejovice, Prachatice, Hluboka, Pisek and many other beautiful towns. Towns nearer to Strakonice which form part of the district have also hosted us - Vodnany, Blatna and Volyne. On various trips we have been able to enjoy walks through some lovely forests and sit in the open air for a relaxing lunch. Food and drink are supplied in abundance and the hospitality is enormous.

On our visit in 2002 members were able to see at first hand the widespread devastation caused by the flooding there. The properties of many of our friends had been affected but they were cheerful through it all. As an Association we set about raising money to help the restoration and rebuilding programme which the Czech Government and Local authority set in motion. Over the course of the year 2002-3 we managed to raise over £1300 which one of our members presented to the Mayor of Strakonice, Pavel Vondrys, on our behalf.