A SOCIETY dedicated to the ancient art of dowsing is seeking to make its base in Malvern, attracted by the town's association with healing waters and sacred wells.

The British Society of Dowsers is hoping to move its offices to 2, St Ann's Road in January, putting the town on the map for 1,500 dowsers worldwide.

It has around 1,100 members nationwide, 29 of whom are in Worcestershire, who using their skills with a pendulum or dowsing rod in a variety of ways, from finding lost people and objects to locating water, tunnels and archaeological remains.

The society is currently based in Kent, but the new administrator, Ian Clements, has chosen Malvern as the perfect new home.

Professional dowser Daphne Adams, of Hanley Road, Malvern, said the proposed site in St Ann's Road was "the right sort of property in the right sort of place".

Malvern is already home to a number of dowsers, including Edna Thomas, of Church Street, who discovered a talent for dowsing many years ago and used it in healing.

"The pendulum will pick up what part of the body is imbalanced and the cause of disease," she said.

She passed on her interest to Mrs Adams, who now teaches dowsing.

"It is an enormous subject and everyone does it a little bit differently," said Mrs Adams.

"Dowsing is not a science, so you don't succeed all the time, but it always helps to some extent."

She has had considerable success with dowsing, both in healing and in helping people find lost animals and objects.

She has recently tracked down lost keys, a kitten, an engagement ring and a lost marriage certificate.

Another Malvern dowser, Peter Ewence, of Grundys Lane, uses a V-shaped dowsing rod made of Buddleia to assist in geophysical surveys.

He has a special interest in locating archaeological remains, but has also helped to trace the flow of underground streams and investigate the positions of pipes and electrical cables.

"I am pretty confident of my results. They are always repeatable over long time spans," he said.