PEOPLE of Worcester and the county showed great sympathy at this time half-a-century ago for the victims of severe coastal flooding in the East and South-East of England.

Berrow's Journal reported that citizens of Worcester had already contributed more than £2,500 to the flood relief fund, while many hundreds of pounds had also been collected from residents of towns such as Malvern and Droitwich.

Sprouts

The Journal carried a photograph too of a lorry laden with fruit and vegetable gifts from growers in the Pershore and Evesham areas, including 100 boxes of apples, 100 nets of sprouts, scores of savoys, leeks and onions, and 5,000 eggs.

On a much brighter note, the same Journal edition of 1953 also reported the wedding at St Barnabas Church, Worcester of the flamboyant county batsman Bob Broadbent to Kathleen Vivienne Lagar of Bilford Road, Worcester.

Bob, who scored several sparkling centuries, had as his best man, Mike Jones (current President of Worcestershire CCC), and an archway of cricket bats was formed by six leading county cricketers as the bride and groom left the church.

The archway of cricket bats was formed by Worcestershire cricketers: from the left, Peter Richardson, Norman Whiting, Louis Devereux, Don Kenyon, Roly Jenkins and Reg Perks.