THE outgoing secretary of the Upton section of the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) has urged someone to step in and keep the branch going.

Joan Bullock has spent 12 years as secretary but has decided to call it a day because of the number of other demands on her time.

At the moment, there is no one willing to step into her shoes.

As well as baking cakes to be sold at Worcester Cathedral, she shops and cooks for the popular Over-60s Lunch Club at the Memorial Hall on Wednesdays.

Her last action as secretary of Upton ARC will be to host its Christmas dinner on Sunday (December 16) and the branch currently has no one to take over her role.

The plight of her sister-in-law, Dorothy Williams, who suffers chronically from the disease, moved her to join ARC when the Upton branch was formed in 1986. She became secretary and "general dogsbody" in 1990.

"Too many people, when they get old, think they can't do anything any more but sit there and count all the pills they've got to take," she said. "The more you do, the younger you feel."

Anyone willing to take over as secretary should contact John Taylor on 01905 756503.