By some of the young people who took part

We flew from Manchester to Malta and were welcomed by the Maltese group with a large banner at the airport. Our accommodation was in a self - catering house where we stayed with the local young people in en-suite rooms with a very welcome swimming pool in a complex across the road. All our meals were eaten out of doors - every day in Malta in summer is simply very hot and sunny.

During our time there we had a day on Gozo, including the Ggantija temples – the oldest free-standing buildings in the world, visited the war rooms in Valetta, spent an evening at a local feast in Zurrieq complete with spectacular fireworks, had a barbecue and disco on the beach at Biskra, went bowling followed by a meal in the night-club area ofSt Julians and visited the "silent city" ofMdina, the old capital of Malta. For some of our journeys around the island we travelled by coach, but we also had several experiences of the ancient Maltese buses which rattle along some of the worst roads in Europe.

This was not just a holiday, however. We spent at least some time each day in workshops looking at Justice and Poverty in the world and the differences in our two cultures. We produced a large banner with the word "Justice" which eventually went on the altar of the parish church. On the Sunday we joined local parishioners in a packed church for the English Mass, and as always we were given a great welcome.

Each night we finished with a short period of reflection wherever we happened to be - in the house where we were staying or in a park in Mdina. The welcome we received everywhere and the friendliness of all the Maltese people that we met sets us a standard to aim for when they come to Preston next year; we will be able to manage the welcome and friendliness, but we certainly can't promise the same weather.