FINDING ways to spend time after retirement may present a problem to some, but Stourport's Jill Fairbrother-Millis is faced with no such dilemma.

The Stourport Civic Society secretary is relishing her role in trying to preserve the "historic beauty" of the town as it stands on the brink of a major development designed to bring jobs and leisure facilities to the area.

The Brindley Street resident, who has been a group member for six years and has served as secretary for just over two, believes researching the Georgian town's past is a fascinating way to meet new faces and discover the work of the people who have made Stourport what it is.

Sixty-year-old Derbyshire-born Mrs Fairbrother-Millis spent 16 years working for the Careers Service in Wolverhampton and also worked as a secretary for the chairmen of various private and public sector firms. She believes the time she spent working with a dedicated group of colleagues is what links her voluntary work now with both the society, and in her part-time job at Stourport's Oxfam shop.

She said: "I seem to enjoy my work when it is done with the help of a dedicated team.

"It makes things all the more enjoyable and the civic society would not work so successfully without the hard work which is put in."

Mrs Fairbrother-Millis, who has also lived in Leicestershire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands before coming to Stourport 15 years ago, is responsible for the civic society's administration work.

But she does not miss out on the more interesting aspects of the group's work, and has played an active role in helping it to produce the successful Images of England - Stourport-on-Severn book.

She said: "The book has sold well around Stourport and the surrounding area and we are delighted with how it has gone.

"We also have some other major projects in the pipeline for the next 12 months which include producing a series of booklets about the famous people of Stourport and another initiative researching the shops and inns of the town."

Mrs Fairbrother-Millis, who has just completed her part-time degree in history and English at University College Worcester, said of her work at Oxfam: "The principle of working for the basic human rights of food, shelter and reasonable conditions of life for the world's poorest people meets my belief.

"I think this is the next best thing to offering to work overseas. Also, working in the High Street shop for the past three years has made me realise there still exists a community of people in Stourport who have worked and lived together for many years.

"Stourport is obviously very close to places such as Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, but it's culture and people are so very different because of the close-knit community."