A welcoming committee will greet 36 visitors from Sheffield, England, when they arrive in Weyburn on July 26.

Sixteen local families will billet the new arrivals in their homes for the duration of their ten-day stay in the city, taking them to numerous area attractions and engaging in some friendly soccer games. The community involvement started two years ago when a Weyburn group went to Sheffield during Easter break.

"When we went (to England) they were just outstanding hosts," said Gary Frederickson, organizer. "We were billeted as we felt it was important to feel the culture. There is also a focus on soccer that helps develop bonding and makes it more enjoyable than just total sightseeing."

Frederickson hopes that this is just the beginning of a twinning exchange between the two countries under which an exchange would occur every two years. At least three or four families from Sheffield have visited Weyburn since the initial exchange, but billeting makes the travel more affordable and more enriching.

The same rules about hosting will apply when the Sheffield group consisting of 30 students, five adults, and the grandson of British organizers Graham and Sue Vardy, arrive. They will be whisked right to their billets, many of whom know one another already. In fact, the exchange began when the two organizers met while Vardy worked at St. Michael Junior High School in 1997.

On July 27, more time will be spent with billets and the group will rejoin for a barbecue. The next day will be spent touring Weyburn and area farms. In the evening the groups will visit Taylor Field and enjoy a Roughrider game in Regina.

On Saturday, July 29, friendly soccer games will be played at Jubilee Park, to be followed by a barbecue and activities at Nickle Lake. The next day will be spent with billet families. On July 31, the groups will go to Moose Jaw for more soccer, with the girls playing the Moose Jaw 17-and-under team and the boys playing the Moose Jaw 15-and-under team.

August will begin with a trip to Ford Buford in the United States. On August 2, tours will be enjoyed at Fort Qu'Appelle and Motherwell Homestead. From there, the group will go to Kenosee for water sliding. A barbecue and wind-up will be held at the Weyburn Leisure Centre on August 3 and tours of Regina and Buffalo Days will be held on August 4 before the Sheffield group continues west, eventually returning home on August 9.

More details about the billet families and the exchange can be found at http://www.britsrcoming.freeservers.com, a web site created for this exchange and future exchanges.

The host committee consists of Gary and Deb Frederickson, Darlene Delanoy, Janice Bakken, Jim Parsons, Patsy Ernst and Linda McKenzie.