AMERICAN Rotarians visited Fenland for three days as part of a vocational trip across East Anglia - and one member of the party spent a morning at this newspaper.

They visited from South Illinois as part of the Group Study Exchange, a scheme which sees young Rotarians from the UK visit a specific area overseas and in turn reciprocate their hosts in a similar manner.

Earlier this year four young Rotarians from East Anglia spent a month in South Illinois as guests of District 6510. As a result District 1080 (East Anglia) hosted Erika Iles, 29, Courtley Goodman, 26, Adam Testa, 28, Nicole Craig, 40, and team leader Ron Obernier, 68.

They arrived in Fenland on Monday for a celebration dinner at the Conservative Club in March, with guests from Wisbech, Downham Market and Chatteris.

After the meal, each of the five overseas participants gave a short address on their home life, employment, and expectations.

On Tuesday, the guests were taken on a ‘Tour de Fens’, which included visits to Wicken Fen, G’s vegetable packing factory near Ely and the new St German’s Pumping Station.

Visitors also spent time visiting businesses similar to their employers back home. Mr Testa, a features and lifestyles reporter for The Southern Illinoisan, spent last Wednesday morning with the Cambs Times/Wisbech Standard editorial team.

• Mr Testa wrote a column about his visit to our office, sharing the similarities and differences he discovered about the UK and US media during his trip. To read his column click the related link at the top of this page.