We had a welcome return visit from Shepherd’s Crook Folk Choir who came to sing for us in St James' Church.  This followed immediately after the annual Christmas carols outside The Wheatsheaf, organised by the Parish Council.  Members enjoyed tea/coffee and mince pies before the concert began at 8 pm.  The choir performed a selection of traditional Cotswold Carols and Wassails.

On Thursday 4th December, 27 members and villagers set out to visit Gloucester Cathedral and the city. On arrival 23 of us walked the short distance to the Cathedral, where we were welcomed with coffee and home-made cookies before splitting into two groups for tours of the cathedral and the crypt. The other four left us to explore the city by themselves.

Despite it being an absolutely foul day, and still raining when a number of members bravely walked along Brewers Lane in the rain, we had nearly 40 people in the room and 13 people on Zoom for Alan Tutton's presentation was very much enjoyed.  Having worked on the Badsey and Aldington QR CODE Trail and led walks around the village based on this, Alan became fascinated by how the topography of the village has affected its development.

Around 40 members were present for a fascinating talk by Galen Bartholomew about how the SS Suevic ran aground in a storm off the Lizard Point in Cornwall in March 1907.  The RNLI rescued 456 people in appalling weather conditions.  This is still the largest number of people rescued by the RNLI in a single operation.  Another ship also ran aground on the same night and the RNLI saved a further 155 lives. Not a single life was lost in either rescue.  

On a rather showery September morning 21 villagers set out for a visit to Hartlebury Castle, just south of Kidderminster, home to the Bishops of Worcester for over a thousand years. 

On arrival we were greeted warmly and given a short explanation of the history of the site. We then went into the Saloon, a beautiful Georgian room, for some very welcome refreshments – tea and coffee served in china cups and delicious cakes, before our introductory talk by the state room guides and librarians.

We regret to inform you that we have had to cancel the musical soiree and garden party, due to one of the members of the Chameleon Wind Quintet contracting COVID.

Nina O’Hare from Worcestershire Archaeology and Archives gave a fascinating talk about the 2022 community excavation at New Farm, Norton, which investigated millennia of stories buried within the landscape.  Geophysical survey of the site had revealed an Iron Age or Romano-British settlement, trackways and possibly earlier prehistoric activity too.  Thanks to the excavation, we now have a window into what really went on.

A visit to Stourbridge Glass Museum and Red House Glass Cone was enjoyed by 28 members.  We learned about the origins of glass making in Stourbridge, discovered the tools glass makers used, and explored the museum’s extensive glass collections, some dating back 400 years.