Friends united

IT ALL started around the time US President Jimmy Carter came to Newcastle back in 1977.

You’ve probably seen the footage – he shouted “Away the lads!” and said he was proud to be a Geordie.

Back in the president’s home city of Atlanta, Georgia, Wayne Smith was setting up a new organisation to promote friendship around the world.

Newcastle was the first to sign up.

Just a few weeks after Jimmy Carter’s visit, a plane full of Geordies – 350 of them, including the BBC’s Mike Neville – flew to the US on the very first Friendship Force (FF) exchange.

Since those pioneers, millions of Friendship Force people have travelled between 58 countries on six continents.

Countless friendships have been forged and the organisation is still going strong.

It’s a sort of school exchange for grown-ups, as members travel and stay with people in their homes.

“It’s like walking in through a friend’s back door. You’re just instantly part of the family,” says Linda Dixon, of Newcastle, who was on that first trip.

“It was so exciting. A whole plane load of us. Back in those days people didn’t travel the way they do now. And you never thought you’d go to America, not in your wildest dreams. I remember we had a McDonald’s and we hadn’t even heard of them before because they weren’t in this country then.”

Since then, she and her husband Les and son Lynton have been on many more FF exchanges, “We’ve made so many friends. Now we can just get on a plane to America, hire a car, tootle around and stay a few days here and there with people we’ve got to know really well. And we used to host three times a year and never had one bit of trouble.”

Those early trips were on a massive scale – hundreds of people at a time.

Now they’re a more modest and manageable groups of around 20. They are still known as “ambassadors” and the trips are still known as “exchanges”, though there is no longer a direct reciprocal exchange, but groups visit and host groups from all over the world.

“It’s a wonderful way to get to know people and to know countries from the inside,” says Ray Shaw, a retired headteacher and president of the County Durham group.

He and wife Joan have made numerous trips – Japan, America, Taiwan, Fiji, New Zealand, Egypt, India Spain... They have just hosted some visitors from France and soon they’re off to Calgary, in Canada. Next year it’s Cyprus. Their house is full of souvenirs from their trips and presents from the guests they’ve looked after.

“Some people are wary about inviting strangers into their home, but it’s no problem. We can honestly say we’ve never had a bad experience.

And many people have become real friends and come back to stay or invite us to visit,” says Ray.

The homes they’ve stayed in have been as varied as the people. “You don’t really know where you’re going until you get there, although you exchange some information with your hosts beforehand, to start to get to know them,” says Joan.

“We’ve had guest apartments all to ourselves, and stayed in huge houses, almost palatial. In Japan, we slept on futons. When we went to Budapest, our hosts only had two rooms and they gave us their bedroom while they slept in the sitting room. All that matters is the welcome and that’s always been good.”

These are no ordinary holidays and Friendship Force members have to have certain characteristics too, explains Ray.

“People in the Friendship Force love the excitement of meeting new people. They are curious about the world and enjoy different experiences.

Above all, they have to be flexible, fit in – and that’s how you really get to know another country and see it as the locals do.”

LANGUAGE is rarely a problem as most visitors have at least some English. On their exchanges, the Shaws travelled in helicopters, hot-air balloons, on a camel and a boat down the Nile. “Wonderful,”

says Ray. As hosts, they not only have people to stay, but they entertain them, show them the sights.

“There’s a welcome party for everyone and a farewell night and the rest is up to you. We always take people to Durham Cathedral. That’s a must.

And we often take people to Whitby, York, Raby Castle. But we try to take visitors to places they might be specially interested in. We took some people recently to Thorpe Perrow arboretum and they loved it.”

Travellers pay their own air fares, plus $150 dollars to the non-profit making Friendship Force in Atlanta for the administration and $100 to their hosts towards the trips and treats – roughly £170 in all One person for each trip is the Exchange Director and takes care of all the travel arrangements – Ray is in charge of the Calgary trip. As well as the week of the exchange, they’ve added on a few days for the trip across to Vancouver.

“It’s a very good way of travelling for people on their own, especially women, who might be a bit apprehensive.

With us you have the safety of the group and the company. And, of course, people to help if anything does go wrong.” Which, thankfully, is very rare.

In between there are social events, get-togethers, and mini-exchanges with other groups in this country.

There are about 40 people in the Durham group, aged from 50 up to a “bright as a button” 90-year-old.

“It’s for all ages, of course,” says Joan. “But I think it’s absolutely ideal for the newly retired, who still have plenty of energy but aren’t tied to work holidays.”

This year visitors have come from Canada and the US to Newcastle; Japan, Biarritz and Belgium to Durham; and Costa Rica to Cleveland.

Travellers from our region have gone or are going to Germany, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Calgary. Next year it’s Florida, Cyprus, Alabama and Peru. And that’s just the local clubs. It’s possible to join other groups on their trips too.

Three years ago Friendship Force had a big celebration to celebrate its 30th anniversary. As the very first exchangers, the Dixons were invited to join the party. “All those people clapping us. It was lovely. And great to see how it’s grown over the years.”

It’s a great way to have a holiday and see the world. But it’s more than that.

“Once you’ve stayed in people’s homes, seen a country from the inside and made good friendships, it opens your eyes, changes your attitudes,”

says Ray. “Getting to know people like that, really is a force for peace.”

■ friendshipforce.org.uk.

■ For more information on the Durham group tel Ray Shaw on 01325-467115.