MEMBERS of Northwich U3A were welcomed to the June meeting on a lovely summer’s day. Speaker, Andrew Wright took them to the even warmer climes of Africa.

During his teenage years, Andrew spent his summers travelling on inter-rail around Europe. It was on one of these trips that he decided that he would see more if he took his own bike with him.

This was the start of his many adventures. He has visited 48 countries so far and plans to visit many more.

When planning his trip to Africa, he met up with two African Methodist Ministers in Northwich who put him in touch with the Methodist community in Kenya. He showed slides of his trip, which included stunning scenery and some of the people that he met.

During his visit to Northern Kenya, the bus that he was on had outriders with guns, but the people were mostly, very welcoming.

When visiting the Methodist communities he was introduced to President Obama's grandmother, Mama Sarah.

His other highlights included standing astride the equator and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Perhaps the most bizarre tale was drinking animal’s blood which is part of the Tribes staple diet. Andrew was thanked for a fascinating talk.

The trip to Northumberland had been very enjoyable; the next one is to the Cotswolds in September. Names are being taken for the theatre trip in September and also for the singles lunch in July.

The next meeting is on July 16, with speaker Jean Finney talking about the History of Nursery Rhymes.