Yvonne Seward's passion for nativity scenes has led her to amass more than 60 of them from all around the world.

Her fascination started when she was a small child. On Christmas Eve along with her stocking there would be a gentle glow in the very early morning darkness. It was a one piece miniature crib.

Later when the retired music teacher was in her 20's and her parents asked her what she wanted them to bring her back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she jumped at the chance of a crib from Bethlehem.

Mrs Seward, from Little Comberton, said: "My parents asked me what I would like brought back from the Holy Land. I asked for a crib made from olivewood and bought in Bethlehem. Nowhere else would be acceptable"

Having amassed such an extensive collection of cribs, Mrs Seward is, understandably, a keen student of the history of the crche, as it is known in many parts of the world.

She said: "Crche comes from the French word meaning 'crib' and has now become part of the English language - the word normally associated with a children's day nursery."

She explained that many early Christians made pilgrimages to the birthplace of Christ in Bethlehem. Nativity representations appeared in art work as early as the 4th century AD, and in the 6th century a small chapel in the Bascilia of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome was dedicated to the Nativity and became a place of worship.

This interest in the crche continued in medieval times when the costumed Biblical drama was popular and the Nativity dramas were known in Europe. According to the bibliography of Saint Francis of Assisi, in 1223 there was a drama of the Nativity using a baby, an ass and an ox and the transformation into Bethlehem of Greccio, a small village near Assisi."

"Today, the interest in displaying crche at other times of the year remains, especially in France and Italy.

"In some countries, the Holy family are joined by representative figures from the local area as they celebrate this wonderful tradition," said Mrs Seward.

The cribs she collects, and friends acquire for her, often have a story attached. The one from Thailand for instance is made by friends of Aids victims to raise funds, and a Christian wood carver from China produced another. Being a Christian in China is unusual and the money paid for the crib went towards the upkeep of the Christian school.

Last month Mrs Seward displayed her crib scenes in St Peter's Church, Little Comberton, and she is now looking forward to doing the same at Worcester Cathedral in December.

She said: "I normally store my crches in crates. It is lovely to see them all out and displayed."