Royston Rotary Club has a longstanding association with the Rotary Club of Paray le Monial et du Charolais, located in the Burgundy region of France. Each year a party of Rotarians from the one club travels to the other club and are to be hosted in the homes of them by the local Rotarians there for three or four days. The visit includes cultural, sporting, social and, importantly, wining and dining opportunities. The sporting aspect arises from a competition between the two clubs called ‘the ashes’. This might involve boules, rowing, table tennis, 10 pin bowling or many other events. Coincidentally the visiting club always manages to win and so has to host the losing club the following year. The following year the travelling is in the opposite direction so each club gets a flavour of the other’s lifestyles and culture. This arrangement has gone on for many years and long-standing friendships have been made between individual club members.The visits usually take place in high summer to take maximum advantage of all that the host country has to offer. We have an extensive collection of photographic records of these visits which can be seen by clicking the appropriate links below.