THE Brewers Arms will re-open for business next Friday, May 20th, after being closed for a month. This was the good news announced by chairman Bill Shearer at the Annual Parish Meeting on Monday. The new tenant is Alison Maddrell, who is already in residence and preparing for next Friday – when many locals will doubtless turn up to celebrate the restoration to life of our much loved-pub and to wish our new Mine Hostess well.

Meanwhile, the meeting at the Elim Theatre to progress contingency plans for a possible future community bid to purchase the pub from Admiral Taverns will go ahead at 8pm on Thursday, May 19th. Latest developments on the proposal to issue shares and set up a co-operative company will be discussed and other aspects of the project will be updated.

A disappointment at the parish meeting was the absence of Rob Underwood from the Saving Hearts Foundation, who was prevented by a motorway breakdown from attending to demonstrate the use of the defibrillator now installed outside the Social Club, which initiated the project. However two training videos shown by parish clerk David Sharp went some way to filling the gap. Meanwhile the second defibrillator to serve the upper part of the village, donated by the Grout family in memory of John Weeks, is now in place outside the Elim Shop on Westminster Bank.

We don't usually expect to be flooded here in West Malvern. But last Sunday afternoon's torrential downpour, which dropped about half an inch of rain in half an hour, briefly converted Lower Road into a raging torrent which ran down into its lowest point, then turning off the road into adjacent properties, actually breaking in to at least one house.

Further up Lower Road at the Royal British Legion club, there will be another Fun Night tomorrow, Saturday May 14th, starting at 8.30pm with the usual mix of skittle, bingo, raffle and free food.

COLIN JACKSON