THE Beacon Church Centre will marks its 75th anniversary with a fun-packed weekend later this month.

Rubery residents are being invited to drop in to the Whetty Lane centre, which has been established since 1928, on June 21 and 22.

Reverend Ian Ring said: "I encourage everyone to come along on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June to join in these celebrations."

On Saturday, there will be demonstrations from a variety of village groups which use the centre for weekly practise sessions, including the Beacon line-dancers, the Scout group and the drama group. Demonstrations will run from noon until 4pm.

At 7pm, parishioners can let their hair down at a barn dance and barbecue. All are welcome and tickets can be purchased in advance from the church.

Sunday's activities will kick off at 10.30am with a walk from the former church site in Leach Heath Lane to the present site in Whetty Lane followed by a service of family worship at 11am.

And at 4.30pm there will be a welcome reception and afternoon tea before a service of thanksgiving led by Mr Ring at 6.30pm.

Throughout the weekend there will also be a range of displays in the church hall and the church itself, including colourful floral arrangements.

And there will also be a display of photographs, which have been supplied by villagers, charting the church's history and stands from the craft club and women's institute. Visitors can also grab a glimpse of the new plans to join the church with the hall and bring the buildings up to date.

Mr Ring continued: "Remembering the past and celebrating the present is not enough, we have to look forward to the next stage of our journey with God."