THE latest batch of Indian nurses to arrive in Worcestershire were given a warm welcome by their new colleagues.

Indian nurses already working at the county's hospitals put on a special curry lunch to make the new recruits feel at home.

Nurse Rani George and her catering husband, Chirayil, who arrived in January last year, thought up the idea, decided on the menu and organised the feast.

The 22 new nurses tucked into vegetable and chicken curries, chapatis and rice yesterday.

"We thought it would be a good way to make the new nurses feel at home," said Rani.

"It's hard to leave family and home, and this may help them to settle in."

Suzanne Hardy, recruitment and retention adviser for the trust, said many of the Indian nurses, who arrived last year, had already been promoted since beginning work.

"We have been fortunate to attract so many highly skilled nurses, some with specialist knowledge in areas such as theatres cardiology, haematology and chemotherapy," she said.

The trust employs 75 nurses from the Philippines and 64 from India.