* The latest edition of The Bromsgrove Rousler, the popular local history magazine published by the Bromsgrove Society, is now available. The 2019 edition – number 34 in the series – features a fascinating mix of personalities and events that have helped shape Bromsgrove’s history.
The cover shows a well-known local landmark: the timber-framed building at the corner of High Street and St John Street, now occupied by MFG solicitors. It is an example of the work of local architects Freddie and Mary Charles, who are profiled in an article inside.
Next year, 2020, will be the Bromsgrove Society’s 40th anniversary. Editor Mike Sharpe has trawled the archives and spoken to some of the founders to tell the story of how the Society came to be established and its crucial early years.
Other articles look at the Bilberry Hill Gun Proof Range in the Lickey Hills, Woodcote Manor House, the poet Joe Harrison and the artist Sybil Barham.
The Bromsgrove Rousler is available, still priced £2.95, from outlets including: WH Smith, Foto Factory, Bromsgrove Cobbler and Coffee Two in Bromsgrove High Street; Banner Foods; most local garden centres; Barnt Green Post Office, and Blackwell Stores. It can also be purchased as a download at the Bromsgrove Society website, https://www.bsoc.co.uk
* Oakalls author Sue Watson’s latest novel is a dark and twisted psychological thriller set in Worcester.
The Empty Nest tells the story of a woman whose daughter is away at university, and mysteriously disappears in the first term.
Former BBC producer Sue, whose two previous novels hit the top of the best-seller lists in both the UK and the US, says this latest tale was inspired by her own daughter leaving home for university.
“Thankfully, she loves it there,” says Sue, “but the whole experience made me think about children leaving home, the potential fears and the empty nest they leave behind.”
The Empty Nest is available to buy as a paperback or ebook on Amazon, Kobo and iTunes.
* John Hanson, Alvechurch UFO expert and author of the ever-expanding Haunted Skies series, is launching a new book called The Bluelight Casefiles – focusing on police responses to UFO sightings in the UK and abroad. He’s also working on Exposure, a look at the after-effects of human interaction with UFOs.
Haunted Skies volumes are available on Amazon and other online bookstores, and the new books are due out in the new year.
* Don’t forget that Boob Art, a calendar featuring images hand-painted on the chests of Rowney Green villagers, is on sale in aid of Cancer Research UK. Buy for £10 at Rowney Green Village Hall, order online at https://www.PayPal.me/Limebridge or email limebridgedesigns@yahoo.co.uk