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Flintshire welcomes Japanese visitors 2018 - 30th Year Celebration
Published: 01/08/2018
The Chair of Flintshire County Council, Councillor Paul Cunningham recently hosted a Welcome Reception to welcome four Japanese dignitaries and four Japanese exchange students to Flintshire.
The reception was attended by 40 people, including Mr Hideo Sato - Mayor of Murata Town Council
Mr Katsumi Onuma - Chairman of Murata Town Council, Mr Hatsumi Ota - Vice-Chairman of Murata Town Council and Ms Yukari Uchigata, Murata Town Council Officer.
This programme offers a wide range of educational and cultural activities for the Japanese guests including visits to London, Liverpool, Oxford, Chester, Chirk Castle, Colwyn Bay, Conwy Castle, Llandudno and Mold.
After the Wales part of the programme, our Flintshire students will visit Miyagi Prefecture in Japan.
The Japanese students are:
- Chizu Kanuma
- Satomi Takiguchi
- Yurika Suzuki
- Yuta Sakuranaka
The Flintshire students who will be travelling to Japan are:
- Alex Moutrie
- Andrew Cowling
- Chloe Stark
- Grace Davies
- Jessica Randell
- Lucy Harrison
Councillor Cunningham said:
"I’m delighted to welcome our Japanese visitors and hope they have an enjoyable and valuable experience. The celebration of 30 years of the Japanese Flintshire Youth Exchange is an auspicious occasion and shows how two nations can work together to achieve so much.
“This exchange offers a wonderful opportunity for both countries to learn about a different way of life and culture. Staying with families is the best way of learning by immersing in the language and culture in a caring environment with fellow students for support.”
To be eligible to apply for a place on next year’s exchange the students need to be 16-18 years old on 1 September 2018 in full time education in Flintshire or in full time education and residing in Flintshire.
To get an insight into what is involved for the students and their families a presentation evening will be held on Wednesday 24 October, at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Mold. Applications for the exchange will be available on the night or by contacting Karen Jones 07759295984 or by email karen.jones@flintshire.gov.uk.
The exchange is funded by Flintshire Optec Japanese Youth Exchange Trust as well as by grants and donations, including donations from Toyota UK based at Deeside and The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, which supports Japanese educational programmes.
Pictured are the Japanese and Flintshire students with parents, organisers, Japanese guests, Trustees and the Chair of Flintshire County Council, Cllr. Paul Cunningham and Mrs Joan Cunningham