Rotary Clubs across the region have pooled their resources into a pot which is paying for Rasen Mail editor Jason Hippisley to learn more about the media profession by travelling to the Philippines.

Jason and three others are the beneficiaries this year of a programme which is open to all young professionals aged 25 to 40 to boost their understanding of their own line of work and other aspects of life through a global link with the Rotary family around the world.

The Group Study Exchange project is closed to Rotarians and their families, but is an extension of the Rotary ethos of putting service before self and supporting the development of personal, business and community life.

Market Rasen and Brigg Rotary clubs are part of Rotary District 1270, which includes 49 clubs stretching across to Sheffield and Barnsley, up to Beverley and sweeping around Skegness and Lincoln. Co-operatively the district clubs put money into the Rotary's own charity Rotary Foundation and every year each district has the chance to select up to four 'outstanding non-Rotarian business and professional people' to be funded on a four week voyage of discovery.

This year District 1270 is sending a party to District 3820 to the south and east of Manila in the Philippines for the whole of March. Jason will be joined by Rachel Shaw, public relations officer for Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, based in Horncastle and civil servants Tammy Goddard and Jo Spink.

Whilst in the Philippines, in addition to discovering how his own work is carried out in media outlets ranging from national newspapers in Manila to small rural newspapers similar to the Rasen Mail, time will be spent visiting and learning about projects promoted and financed by the rotary clubs in that part of the country with support from the world-wide Rotary Foundation.

In exchange, a party of Filipinos will be spending time in this district in April, most probably visiting local clubs, projects and attractions on their stay.

"This will be such a valuable, and no-doubt life-changing, experience for which I am enormously grateful to Market Rasen Rotary Club for their faith in nominating me, Rotary generally for their generous sponsorship and my work for allowing me to take so much consecutive leave. I am hopeful of picking up a number of initiatives to enhance the way we bring local news to Mail readers and also any experiences on which to build personally," said Jason.

Richard Lewis, Market Rasen Rotary Club's President Elect, said the club was delighted that its nominee had been chosen from across the district, following on from Beth Holvey travelling to Canada in lieu of David Nelstrop in 2001. "We know that Jason will find it enormously valuable and hope that mail readers reap the benefits too," he said.

Recently similar trips have involved parties visiting Colombia and Norway and soon candidates will be sought for next year's trip to an Romania and Moldavia.

District communications officer Freya Cross said, "It is thrilling that Jason is on this year's team as he will be able to use his vocational skills to promote the value of GSE and the benefits of the programme to employers and potential candidates.