THE group, primarily a rambling club, has had its activities severely curtailed because of the foot and mouth disease crisis.

However, adaptation and improvisation have provided members with a full programme for April.

April 1 was the day that the group travelled to Leicester for a town walk led by Rod Quilter.

As Leicester is Rod's home town and architecture one of his interests, he was able to guide members through the interesting parts of the town.

On April 5, the group met at the Baptist Church Hall, Alvechurch, to listen to a talk by Irene Ashman entitled "Air Ambulance Control".

Irene went on to explain that she was the only official fundraiser for the area from Evesham to Birmingham and has been personally responsible for raising £65,000 this year, her involvement starting because her son is an air medic.

Funds are raised in a variety of ways ranging from car boots, coffee mornings and local pub collections to major donations from individuals and large companies.

The second talk (and slide show) of the month was given by Betty Anderson on April 19.

The talk was entitled "A Second Eden", which described Betty's six-week trip to Australia when she joined her son Gareth on a tour - by motorbike!

Places visited included Sydney, Bunderberg, Fraser Island and Townsville.

Betty's son and his friends are Alternative Lifestyle people which made the trip memorable - particularly the skinny dipping.

The group's weekend in the Lake District took place on April 20-23.

Although the foot and mouth disease is still evident, the guides took members to Keswick, Derwent Water, Grassmere, Rydal and Windermere, walking on country lanes and lakesides unaffected by the crisis.

There were wonderful views of mountains, valleys and lakes so the 31 members had an excellent holiday.

Rod Quilter led a walk around Shrewsbury on April 29, when 13 members visited this beautiful historic town.

For details, call 01527 870708.