Ashby Castle Rotary Club has completed an exchange project with a number of Rotary Clubs in South Africa, showing the worldwide nature of the organisation.

The club had what is described as 'a wonderful week of fun and fellowship' as a result.

Incoming club secretary Debbie Hamilton became part of a request for involvement in the exchange.

She visited South Africa last October, making visits around several Rotary Clubs in the country, including those in Cape Town, Hermanus, Swellandam and Somerset West.

This led to an agreement to arrange a return visit with a number of the Rotary Clubs visited.

After a lot of careful planning, 10 Rotarians from a number of different clubs in South Africa have visited four Rotary Clubs in UK, including Ashby Castle.

Members of the club hosted the guests during their visit and they arranged for their guests to be shown some of the great things that the local area has to offer.

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A full itinerary was arranged for the visitors starting on a Wednesday evening visit to the Burton Bridge Inn for some local British beer, skittles in the pubs skittle alley and followed up with a quintessentially British fish and chip supper.

Thursday saw the group taken to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire for a stately home visit, followed by an evening meal at Ashby's Zamani's Italian Restaurant.

Friday focused on Ashby itself with a tour of the town and some of the fantastic sights it has to offer including St Helen's Church, the Rotary Peace Garden and Castle.

This was followed by a Friday night meal which was well attended by members of the other Rotary Clubs in the town and from Coalville Rotarians and attendance by Ashby's Mayor, Avril Wilson.

Saturday completed the visit to Ashby Castle Rotary Club and the guests took part in the weekly Parkrun event at Conkers, followed by brunch at Conkers Lakeside.

After a busy few days the South African visitors were taken on to their next Rotary Club to continue their Rotary tour of the UK which is lasting for two weeks.

Some are then staying on longer to visit other parts of the UK including Scotland.

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Debbie said: "We have had fantastic feedback from our South African guests and they couldn't thank us enough for all we did for them. "

"It was a fantastic experience for me to go to South Africa and to see all the projects that they work on. It was really humbling and made me realise just how privileged we all are."

If you are interested in finding out more about Rotary or would like to come along to the Rotary Club of Ashby de la Zouch Castle please contact secretary Debbie Hamilton at [email protected] or click HERE.