VISITORS from as far afield as Cannock and King's Heath made up a record 31 tables at a whist drive, held at Dodford Memorial Hall. The chief attraction was the first prize, a 14-week-old pig, which was won by the village postmistress Ada Baker. Dodford vicar, the Rev Frank Marks, made the presentation.

A CALL for Bromsgrove's two district councils, the urban (UDC) and rural to form a closer alliance to combat the threat of Birmingham overspill was made by UDC chairman Cllr Henry Webley. He was speaking at the UDC annual dinner held at the Golden Cross Hotel, in Bromsgrove. He said an influx of people from the city could nullify all the hard work done since 1947 to come up with a viable blueprint for Bromsgrove's future.

THE long-expected date for the General Election was announced by new premier Sir Anthony Eden. It means dutiful voters in Bromsgrove voting in parish, county, district and the General Election on May 29 would go to the polls four times before then.

FRED Fincher, the Messenger's long standing naturalist from Woodcote, wrote of his sadness at the decline of the primrose from the highways and byways in and around Bromsgrove. In highly populated areas people picking and digging up the plants had caused them to become scarce.

A BRIEF look at some of the prices realised at Bromsgrove's Tuesday produce market revealed day-old cockerels made £2 per 100, goose eggs 6/- (30p) per dozen and apples 5/- (25p) per dozen pound.