FIREFIGHTERS were scrambled to All Saints Hospital when a fire broke out in the east wing. Patients were carried from smoke-filled wards and the staff rooms were completely gutted. The Women's Voluntary Service managed to serve hot meals to distressed patients and help them settle into new wards. Three roofs in the east block were destroyed, along with the block's day room. It is believed the blaze began in the kitchen.

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IT was decided that strong organisation was needed by those whose livelihoods depended on horticulture to combat foreign competition. Growers from Catshill and Bournheath gathered at the Crown Inn, off Stourbridge Road, to discuss the problems of products from abroad flooding the area. They decided to host more talks and meetings and visit examples of excellent horticulture to improve their knowledge about modern methods.

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A CATSHILL motorist was fined £2 for breaking the 30mph speed limit on the Bristol Road South, between Northfield and Selly Oak.

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HOUSEHUNTERS were invited to view a three-bedroom property for sale in Cofton Hackett. It offered a kitchen, bathroom, large garden and two reception rooms. The asking price was £1,775.

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THE Bromsgrove Society paid a visit to Dodderhill Common, at Hanbury, for their last outdoor meeting of the year. They enjoyed a stroll around the woodlands and watched a local farmer making cider. Members were then invited to sample some of his produce.