For over half century Hastings has been host to hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world.

Host Families Wanted, the true story of overseas English language students in Hastings, is approached with the enthusiasm for detail that my regular readers expect of me.

It recounts my own experiences as student host mother, the company director of a family-run, Hastings based language school and how the work affected my life and family. The problem of street offences against students is considered, as are the efforts of the police and the local authority to reduce the crime and protect students.

To enrich the story there are interviews with local host families and the students’ teachers. In a set of essays, a group of today’s overseas students comment frankly on Hastings and their hosts.

If you are a host family, have been, or are thinking of becoming one, this book is for you.