SEEING as my entire knowledge of the Spanish language consists of the phrase “hasta la vista, baby” – and I’m not sure that ever had anything to do with sun kissed beaches, donkeys, white painted villages or Real Madrid FC – I am ill placed to write about a new group that’s bringing a glow of Mediterranean sunshine to wintry Worcester.

In fact, I haven’t even got the correct punctuation mark on my computer keyboard. Because Hola Worcester, for that is its name, has exclamation marks at either end of the words – and the first one is upside down.

The punctuation may be something quite usual in Spain but it’s totally foreign to my set-up, which certainly has more affinity with Brooklyn than Barcelona.

Never mind, however you look at it the words translate as Hello Worcester.

The story also has more than a passing reference to a piece I wrote back in 2007 about a lady from Whitbourne, near Bromyard, named Caroline Waterman.

She had written a book called Mad Dogs and an English Girl. It was all about the days when she was living in General Franco’s Spain. She had also founded a Spanish circle in Bromyard and you don’t often find those two locations appearing in the same sentence.

It was Caroline who telephoned the other day to inform me that her daughter Pippa had set up a similar group in Worcester, which meets every other Thursday at Chesters, the Mexican restaurant in Friar Street. The city, as far as I know, not having a Spanish restaurant.

The slight irony here is that the co-founder of Pippa’s Spanish group is a Mexican. Jose Santos is currently on a three-year degree course at the University of Worcester having arrived from Oakaca in southern Mexico with a few years stay in London in between. His English is immaculate.

Pippa, who works in child protection, has moved to Worcester from Brighton, East Sussex, and between them she and Jose have gathered an eclectic little group about them.

There’s a Nicaraguan, a Peruvian, a chap from Chile and another from Andalusia, the only one of the lot who actually comes from Spain.

How all these various nationalities gravitated together in Worcester I never really found out but it probably has something to do with the ambience at Chesters.

For her part Pippa is a confirmed Spanofile – yes, that is a real English word, by the way.

She said: “When I was a child we holidayed in Spain a lot. I even stayed with a Spanish family who spoke no English. In fact, I don’t think I spoke any English at all the whole time I was with them. You start off with sign language and then you just get along like children do.”

In fact, Pippa believes Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn. She said: “It’s very straightforward. Unlike English. I sometimes think we don’t appreciate how difficult our language can be for someone trying to learn it.”

Having said that, I must point out that Hola Worcester is not a language class. It’s not the place to go to learn Spanish. It’s the place to go to improve your Spanish.

She said: “It’s for people who can hold a conversation. It’s a chance to develop their use of the language by meeting and chatting to others, make new friends and socialise.”

Somewhere along the line there is also the chance to knock back a few traditional drinks, including tequila, which actually comes from Mexico, but as they speak Spanish, what the heck.

There you have it. Along a street that couldn’t be more Old England if it tried, you have a little hot spot of Mediterranean bon homie.

So feliz ano nuevo, as they say at Alicante airport. Or happy new year to you and me.

● Although Hola Worcester usually meets on alternate Thursday evenings at 8pm, it’s always best to ring Pippa Waterman on 07817 037297 to check dates and times.