A Norwegian exchange student lived with a family in Dunmow last month.

While Marthe Hegdahl was here for a long weekend, from Thursday August 25 to Monday August 29, she visited Cambridge and London with her host and they cruised down the Thames, shopped on Oxford Street, and wandered round the Olympic Park.

Unfortunately another exchange student, Thomas Williams, could not come because he was too unwell to fly - but there are plans in place for him to fly over in the coming months instead.

Two English students from Helena Romanes School, Rosalind Brolly and Matthew Washer, had been to Norway at the beginning of his month (August 11) and gave a presentation about their trip to the Dunmow Rotary Club.

This is the first of two exchanges that Matthew will be undertaking, the next will be to China in October.

He said: “I just want to see different parts of the world and mix with different cultures and the exchanges were available so I thought I might as well sign up for them.”

Matthew and Rosalind were shown all the local sights in the Norwegian town, Kragero, including some nearby islands.

Matthew said he thought Norway was beautiful in comparison with England.

“It was just pine forest and big hills and the sea.”