THE Rotary Club of Bromsgrove is offering one young person the experience of a lifetime - the chance to study in the USA.

Youngsters, who must live in Bromsgrove, are being invited to apply for a scholarship sponsored by the club to undertake a short study trip later this year.

The scholarship provides funds of up to £1,000 to cover air-fare, insurance and other expenses for a period of up to 30 days.

The project should involve study of a social, commercial or cultural aspect of the United States and should be chosen by the applicant. It must be approved by the club.

Applicants who are resident in Bromsgrove, should be aged between 17 and 25-years-old.

Accommodation will be provided by Rotary hosts in the Peekskill District of New York State.

Peekskill is a small historic town on the banks of the Hudson River about an hour's drive from New York city.

The Alf Spears Travelling scholarship is named after a long serving member of the Bromsgrove club. In 1977/8 he served as district governor and during his year in office worked hard to set up an Atlantic Bridge, linking Rotary clubs in the Bromsgrove area with their opposite numbers in the States.

Bromsgrove has maintained its link with Peekskill.

Following Alf's death in 1995, in his memory, the two clubs established the scholarship which provides funds for a young person to travel to the other club and spend up to 30 days to study a feature of life in the host country. Scholars are selected alternately from Bromsgrove and the USA.

Application forms are available from Rotarian Geoffrey Neal at Orchard End, 21 Whitford Road, Bromsgrove B61 7NL. He can also be contacted on 01527 875115.

They should be submitted by mid-February and the selection will take place in March.