THE parish of Christ Church and St Mary’s Malvern received a group of German visitors last weekend from their link parishes near Magdeburg. The guests arrived on the evening of Friday, July 9, where they were welcomed at St Mary’s with tea and coffee before going to their respective hosts.

On Saturday, July 10 they attended the Pershore Brass Festival, where Richard Perkins, who organised the visit, was playing in the Malvern Hills Brass Band, together with his brother, Stephen, one of the hosts. In the evening the guests went to different hosts for a meal.

There was a joint service at Christ Church on Sunday taken by the Reverend John Budd and the Reverend Clare Griffiths. Pastor Thomas Wolter from Gross Ammenleben read the Gospel in German, and Matthias Müller played an organ prelude at the beginning of the service. John Rogers from Somers Park Methodist Church gave the intercessions in English and German. The service was followed by a lunch in Christ Church Hall. After some free time with their hosts on Sunday afternoon, the German visitors went to an evening meal in different homes.

On Monday, July 12 guests, hosts and others went on an outing to Gloucester Docks and Waterways Museum. This included a boat trip on the canal. The outing, organised by John Morgan, was much enjoyed by Germans and British alike.

The visit culminated with a farewell party in Alfrick Pound at the home of Brian and Vicky Willis. The splendid array of food included some traditional English puddings prepared by Brian Willis.

The German guests left for Stansted on Tuesday morning in a minibus driven by John Morgan and Ken Johnson, and visited Cambridge on the way.

It was generally agreed that the visit had been a great success.