THIRTEEN City of Hereford Rotary Club members began their year in exciting style with a visit to Tanzania.

The group’s visit focused on the capital Dar es Salaam and they met members from six different Rotary clubs to hear about some of the projects they have under way at the moment.

The trip also included a couple of days on safari and a relaxing visit to Zanzibar.

Nearer home, the club has enjoyed a talk from Byron Campbell of the Woodland Trust who told how a programme of tree-planting is gradually helping the national stock to recover.

Members also joined with members of the Wye Valley Rotary Club to attend a dinner arranged by the Inner Wheel at Withington Village Hall which helped to raise around 700 pounds for charities.

The club has also welcomed a new member, NHS consultant Catherine Chima-Okereke, who joined in February.

Plans are now moving forward for the big fundraising event of the year, the annual duck race which will take place on Sunday, May 5 with the ducks making their journey from Hunderton Bridge to Hereford Rowing Club.

Tickets are now available with a chance to win a 1,000 pound cash prize and a number of other prizes.