From the archives

The recent rains have considerably improved the strawberry crop, which on many lands was being ruined by the drought. The yield promises to be much larger than at first anticipated, as on some strawberry plants of the Paxton variety there was an abundance of blooms which came after the frosts, and there will probably be about three parts of a crop. The fruit has swelled out since the rain but ripening has been very slow and up to the present only small quantities of the fruit have been gathered. With some warm sunshine there should be a good supply next week. Prices have ranged from 2 1/2d to 4 1/2d per lb. at the local markets.

75 Years Ago

June 21, 1930

From various Women's Institutes in the neighbourhood, members met at the schoolroom of the Wesleyan Chapel, Evesham, on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, when Miss Adams, of the Campden Research Station, gave most useful and practical demonstrations of various methods of preserving fruit and vegetables. Tuesday morning was devoted to the making of jams and jellies,. On Tuesday afternoon, fruit bottling was explained and demonstrated on in full detail, while on Wednesday fruit canning and the bottling of tomatoes and fruit juices filled the morning session, and vegetable bottling was the subject dealt with in the afternoon.

50 Years Ago

June 25, 1955

There are council house tenants at Evesham who are property owners and others who have businesses of their own, said Councillor Oliver Morgan on Monday evening when the town council, as housing committee, were discussing a previous decision that a block of houses at Fairfield should be reserved for people prepared to pay economic (unsubsidised) rents. He said these tenants should be told they must find other accommodation or "have a conscience" and pay economic rents. It was agreed that the housing sub-committee should investigate the matter. The town clerk, Mr N F Davies, had asked the meeting to give further consideration to their decision to let houses at economic rents.

25 Years Ago

June 26, 1980

Students in Evesham are finding it harder to get a holiday job this year, because people are eating fewer sausages. Normally at this time of the year, the Richmond Sausage Company recruits about 30 students to help turn out sausages and pies. But, for the first time for years, the company has announced that it is not taking on any casuals this time. The company has blamed a nationwide slump in the demand for sausages. At the Evesham factory, only 25 tons a week are now being produced, which is about half the normal output at this time of the year. Mr Alan Wilkinson, the factory manager, said that throughout the country the food industry was suffering from the recession. "When there is unemployment and a shortage of money the food industry is the first to suffer," he said.