THE first big event of the year kicks off at Redditch's Forge Mill Museum on Sunday - and it promises to be a fascinating, albeit curious affair.

To celebrate the start of its Curious Collections exhibition, the museum is throwing open its doors for free and laying on some entertainment.

It has invited collectors from across Redditch with unusual objects and memorabilia connected with the town, like glassware, industrial items and postcards to display them until March 28.

On Sunday, BBC Hereford and Worcester will also be broadcasting its Voices project live.

It will be the first time people can hear this oral history of the town.

There will be a collectors' fair on Sunday with societies setting up stalls and folk singer Sally Whytehead, in the guise of a needle scourer, will get things swinging with old Redditch ballads.

For those interested in their family history, there will be talks on genealogy and a family activity workshop where people can make their own collage family tree if they bring old snapshots along.

Forge Mill's Jo-Anne Gloger said: "There will be loads of stuff going on and we want to see lots of people there.

"As well as the displays, which show unusual aspects of collecting in Redditch, there will also be talks on genealogy and how to go about tracing your family history.

"We're contacted quite often by people all over the world tracing their family tree.

"We get a lot from Australia, for example, and sometimes we can check our archives and supply information."

The museum is off Millrace Road in Riverside and Sunday's event runs from 11am-4pm.

Jo-Anne Gloger with a Redditch Carnival display at the forthcoming Curious Collections exhibition.