In April 15 members of the Lower Fifth to Lower Sixth, accompanied by 13 Manchester Grammar School boys, set off on our fifth exchange visit to Northern France, led by Mrs Menzies.

The first leg in Manchester had been successful and our ‘correspondants’ had enjoyed visits to Manchester United’s stadium, Liverpool and the Museum of Slavery, the Museum of Science and Industry, as well as a guided tour of Styal Mill and the Apprentice House, followed by afternoon tea.

Sunny days accompanied our stay in Flanders at the Lycée des Flandres and we enjoyed swapping football for sand yachting on the beach at Dunkirk and discovering some of the local sights: La Piscine, an art deco art gallery in Roubaix, Ypres and the In Flanders Field museum and the new museum in Cassel, followed by afternoon tea Belgian style in a local estaminet.

We should like to thank the host families in Manchester and Flanders for their warm welcome which enabled the students to experience family life at first hand and to improve their language skills.