For a third year, a group of ten students and two teachers from Macau visited the UK in August, hosted by the Rotary Club of Sandbach.

Some time ago the Head of St Paul’s School in Macau approached the club’s youth officer, PDG Eric Cowcill, with a view to arranging a two-week experience for students from the school.

On arrival at Heathrow, the students and teachers were greeted by Eric and checked in to a hotel and spent three days seeing the sights of the capital. They we thrilled to see Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the British Museum, etc., but were bewildered by Hyde Park – Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China, doesn’t have room for open spaces and most of the students live in high-rise apartment blocks.

After travelling north by train the students were transported to Petty Pool Outdoor Centre at Sandiway, which was to be their base. Here they took part in a wide range of outdoor activities and visited Chester and North Wales.

Over the middle weekend the students were home-hosted by Sandbach Rotarians and friends who provided differing programmes for them. The weekend ended with a barbecue. After some crown green bowling the students joined a lunchtime meeting of the Rotary club and made a presentation on their visit before being taken on a historical walkabout around Sandbach.

Rtn Eric Cowcill said that the whole visit was a resounding success and enjoyed by all the students who had a wonderful time in England and one which they would not forget.