Woking District Rotary Club recently hosted an international friendship exchange with a difference.

Fourteen Rotarians visiting England for a week joined the club meeting, and certainly stood out as they were all dressed in superb green and black tailored outfits.

Not only that, but the visitors brought their singing voices with them. Within minutes the corridors of Hoebridge Golf Centre were echoing to the sound of massed community singing, West African style.

Club members joined in, and the singing and dancing spread like wildfire.

The visitors also joined in the more serious part of the evening, listening to the guest speaker, Peter Waddell from Holme Farm community workshop and gardens in Woodham.

Peter is the chair of this charity, which aims to help individuals improve and regain personal wellbeing through nature, community and companionship, and to which the club is currently considering providing some support.

Gill Colbeck, who is this year’s club president, said: “What a great evening, we enjoyed creating our own little bit of international rapport and smashing down some mighty cultural barriers! This was in the very best traditions of Rotary International.”

The Rotary Club of Woking District was founded in 1976 to provide opportunities for local people who could not meet during the working day but wanted to get involved with the many communities in Woking. The club has around 40 members and meets fortnightly on Wednesday evenings with a varied programme that includes social events.

It supports a number of events each year, which include fundraising and giving time to help the local community, and also supports some international projects. Since its inception the club has raised more than £850,000.

Approximately 75 per cent of funds raised are distributed to organisations and charities in the Woking area. The remaining 25 per cent is used to fund worthwhile charitable projects abroad, including End Polio Now.