THIS WEEK IN 1957:

The new Malvern Radio Telescope at the Royal Radar Establishment was shown for the first time to the national and technical Press. It is not only a scientific achievement but a marvel of British technical skill. It will help radio astronomers to explore outer space more accurately than hitherto and has cost upwards of £10,000.

* "Bees Swarmed at Droitwich Lido" - A swarm of bees invaded the front porch of the Lido café this week and it was virtually impossible to open the doors. Local bee-keeper Mr N. Smith was called in to remove the swarm but when he arrived, although identifying the bees as his, said he was unable to entice them away as he could not find the queen bee. As a result he recommended they should be destroyed. The lido attendants therefore rigged up two hoses, and Mr Bob Sadler, a lifeguard, ventured in among them, directing the jets of water, and soon afterwards had driven away or drowned the bees.

THIS WEEK IN 1967:

For well over two years, members of the Pump Street Methodist Church at Worcester have been worshipping just round in the corner at St Peter's Church in Sidbury, and the relationship which exists between the two congregations is very friendly and they have often shared services. However, the days of being "homeless" will soon be over for the Methodists who expect to move into their new church at Pump Street in time for the first Sunday next January. The new church forms part of the Lychgate development.

* Viscount Cobham, Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire since 1963 and Governor General of New Zealand from 1957 to 1962, has been appointed Lord Steward of the Queen's Household. The post is medieval in origin and, though it once held great power, it is now more concerned with ceremonial events of the Court such as State Banquets, visits of heads of state and coronations.

THIS WEEK IN 1977:

City councillors have been told of the baffling disappearance of seven tons of lead valued at £1,000 during the re-roofing of Worcester Guildhall. Town Clerk Mr Bertram Webster informed councillors on Monday that it had proved impossible to solve the mystery of how, when and where the old lead disappeared.

* The £150,000 Coronary Care Unit at Ronkswood Hospital, officially opened last week, will not be used because of lack of staff. Only half the nurses needed to run the unit have been recruited and, until enough trained nurses are available, the unit, rushed through after a Worcester Rotary Club fund-raising appeal, will not be opened. And a new £5 million hospital development nearing completion at Newtown is also expected to stand empty for lack of funds to run it.

THIS WEEK IN 1987:

Organic crops are to be grown on a controversial Worcester farm site. The unique scheme by the Worcestershire College of Agriculture at Hindlip will begin this autumn at Lower Smite Farm. The college will be the only one in the country to develop a system of organic growing on a large scale. The college is to take over a total of 145 acres of land at Lower Smite Farm which was once earmarked as a rubbish dump for the county. It has lain idle since Hereford and Worcester County Council bought it for £350,000 in 1981. The agricultural college is initially devoting 34 acres to its organic growing project.

* Campaigners fighting to save Evesham's maternity unit have lost their battle with the announcement by junior Health Minister Edwina Currie that services will move to Ronkswood at Worcester. The 15-bed maternity unit at Avonside, Evesham has been closed for several weeks but this was claimed to be only a temporary measure due to a district shortage of midwives.

THIS WEEK IN 1992:

Residents of St Peter the Great, Worcester have been given the go-ahead to set up a parish council for their area. The green light for the new nine-member council was given this week by the Local Government Boundary Commission. The parish council will have certain powers within the district but residents will have to pay an additional charge on the city council rate for the privilege.

* West Mercia Police's new £1.7 million Firearms Training School at Hindlip is to be used to train officers in the battle against terrorists in Northern Ireland. Officers from the Royal Ulster Constabulary have already used the new state-of-the-art laser and "cyclorama" cinema technology at Hindlip to help them sharpen up their skills.