SOUTH African rugby players bade farewell to the Eden Valley with an official reception and "Thank you" party at Appleby Grammar School.

A total of five students from Wentworth who have been visiting Cumbria on a rugby led Cultural Exchange Programme were due to fly home to the South African summer yesterday (Tuesday).

Appleby Grammar School sports teacher John Cooper has been involved in organising the exchange visits and assistant head of Appleby Grammar School Keith Scott explained: "Over the past three years Appleby Grammar School, in conjunction with other Eden Partners, has been developing a student Cultural Exchange Programme with Wentworth Township. To date this has meant that some 75 students from both Eden and Durban have had the opportunity to experience each other's way of life and culture."

Overseas Director for Natal Rugby Union Richard De Jager and Wentworth Township Representative Jerome Schoonburg travelled from Durban to express their appreciation and to discuss future plans for the exchange scheme. A return visit to South Africa is already planned by 26, primarily Eden, students in July, and arrangements are being made for a party of 25 township youngsters to visit Eden later this year, as well as plans for more Appleby Grammar School students to visit Durban in summer 2005.

Evan Wildey and Jeremy September, both 18, from Durban have been living with two local families for the past three months and studying at Appleby Grammar School. Helen Slee of Long Marton, whose son Nick, 16 will be going to South Africa later this year, said: "It has been a real pleasure having Evan as part of our family."

Evan said: "We have played rugby every Saturday and Sunday except for two weekends. The season has started back home, and training has begun. Everyone is waiting for us to get back and get straight back into training. The main things we will take home with us are the bonds of friendship, the genuine hospitality and great welcome we have received while being in Eden. But we also experienced snow on three occasions and witnessed the flooding of Appleby during our stay. The weather is definitely very different back home. We have had plenty of updates from our families, who we have been keeping in touch with via e-mail, and we had a telephone call yesterday to say it's really hot in Durban."

Jeremy has been living with the Hall family in Appleby during his visit. He told The Messenger: "It has been a wonderful experience and we have built up strong friendships during our stay. We will continue to keep in touch via e-mail and telephone calls. We are all looking forward to our friends come over to Durban later this year."

Tracy Hall, whose son Josh, 16, will be part of the return party, said: "Josh has become a real part of the family and I will be sad to see him go, People got to know both the boys very well over the past three months and, because of their wonderful personalities, took them to their hearts. And they both have a very large girl following."