THRIVING Kidderminster Male Choir celebrated its 97th anniversary at the weekend - and nobody enjoyed the evening more than Mal Roberts.

He is not the longest-serving member of the choir but is certainly the oldest, having turned 90 last month.

The Welshman, who lives in Stourport, still takes part in as many of the group's activities as possible - but sometimes finds his poor hearing presents a few problems during rehearsals.

Mr Roberts, a second tenor and former choir president, said: "My hearing is not 100 per cent, it doesn't matter as much when I'm singing, but when we're rehearsing and there's lots of talking going on it can get a bit difficult."

He joined the choir in 1968, having cycled to Wyre Forest from his home in Glamorgan in search of work after losing his grocery job in 1934.

Mr Roberts admits he never dreamt he would still be singing at the age of 90 when he joined the choir, but it is something he does with the full backing of his wife of 60 years Florence.

"She loves it - she's really pleased for me," he said. "She likes the fact that I'm keeping going - it's a really good interest for me.

"I have been singing all my life really, in church or whatever, trying to emulate (Enrico) Caruso. But it was while working in the sales office at Tomkinsons in Kidderminster in 1968 that a young lad said why don't you join the choir my dad's in.

"His dad was Stan Bennett, who is a couple of years younger than me and still a member."

Mr Roberts, who also spends time in his allotment, comes from a family of five brothers and while he says his Welsh heritage is a factor in his singing, he admits only one other sibling had a good voice.

He was the only one of the five who did not go down the mines, but his working life was varied, taking in spells as a grocer, selling insurance, poultry farming and night duties at a telephone exchange.

He now has two sons, nine grandchildren and "at least" 11 great-grandchildren. His time with the choir has seen him travel across the country and as far afield as Ireland, although he will not be able to take part in next year's planned trip to Australia, where he lived for two years in the 1970s.

"I don't attend as much as I used to - I have to pick and choose at my age. The last 10 years it's been stepped up quite a lot because of all the Christmas carol singing and whatever," he said.

But the choir is thriving at the moment: "When I first joined we were lucky to have 20 members and now we are up to about 70."