MALVERN town council chairman Caroline Bovey and county councillor Penelope Morgan was among a group of visitors who took a five-day trip to a group of villages near Magdeburg in Germany.

The visit was the latest in a series of exchange visits since links were established between Christ Church in Avenue Road and the German villages in 1998.

During the trip, the visitors went to a church service and buffet lunch in Rottmersleben, followed by a tour round the village, conducted by the burgermeister, Herr Weitz.

The group visited Flechtigen, a health resort with a moated castle, and a hospital for recuperation and rehabilitation. Here they attended a concert given by a male voice choir conducted by Matthias Műller, an organist and choirmaster who visited England in 2007.

The group also went on an outing in the footsteps of J S Bach, visiting a castle at Kőchen, where Bach gave recitals, and a church he belonged to, where Herr Műller gave an organ recital, including music by Elgar.

The group stayed in people’s homes, and were overwhelmed by the kindness and hospitality of their hosts.