AS predicted here last week, West Malvern has reacted strongly and swiftly to the closure of the Brewers Arms. At a meeting hastily called by the Parish Council last Thursday, around 140 people packed the Village Hall to show their support for the village's last remaining pub. By its end, moves to set up a community buyout of the pub were already well in train. The nucleus of a steering group to take matters forward was formed before the crowd had left the hall, and nearly 100 people had signified their interest in possibly investing in a community share offer. Astonishingly, by Tuesday, a brand new web site www.brewerscommunitypub.co.uk, created by local resident and website designer Sue Edmunds, was up and running. This excellent site not only contains a full account of the meeting and the presentation by CAMRA's Mark Haslam, but also outlines likely current and future developments in what is likely to be a fast-moving scenario in the coming weeks and months. A further public meeting is expected to be called within a matter of days. Anyone interested in the future of the Brewers is strongly advised to watch this site which will keep abreast of events as they happen.

Another notable event in the life of the village also took place last week. The Revd Rosemary Herbert, Deacon of St James's Church – dedicated, tireless and humble worker for our entire community – completed 25 years of (unpaid) service on April 14. The following tribute from Richard Hammond will be echoed by many local residents. “Congratulations to Rosemary Herbert, the face of the church in West Malvern. She celebrated 25 years of service to the church and the village in general. She first came to the church in 1991 and continues to dedicate her life to the service of the church and village life. Many thanks from us all.”

The Royal British Legion will be holding another of its regular Fun Nights at the Lower Road club on St George's Day (and 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death!), April 23, from 8pm. All welcome to enjoy the usual friendly mix of skittles, bingo, raffle and free food.

COLIN JACKSON