During the new season of talks, the society will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a dinner at the Redditch Golf Club.

In keeping with such a year, the new programme, arranged by Ann Ray, has incorporated some new ideas.

The first meeting will be held at Webheath Village Hall on Thursday, September 14, when guest speaker Ian Hayes will talk about "Forest of Dean Free Mines".

This will be followed by a visit to the area to see at first hand the work of the miners.

Another year of interesting and varied talks will include the December one, entitled "Christmas Food and Customs".

The annual meeting in April will be brought to a close with a talk entitled "Brum Grub".

The season will conclude with "follow up" visits - in June to Dodford Church and Rosemount, and in July, the Elgar Museum, Leigh Church and Tythe Barn.

Meetings generally alternate between Webheath and Feckenham village halls, beginning in September, with the final talk on Wednesday, June 13, at Feckenham being "Dodford-Chartists and Bromsgrove Guild" by Diana Poole.