THE 40TH anniversary of a Beaminster society was celebrated last week.

The Beaminster Probus Club held their 40th anniversary luncheon at the Red Lion Hotel in Beaminster on Monday, October 11. The event was held in the same room as the first meeting in 1981 and members tucked into meals from the same menu as that luncheon.

The probus club was formed in 1981 by a number of prominent people throughout the town, the group continues to hold a monthly coffee morning with a member speaker and luncheon with a guest speaker.

Club president, Chris Chaney, welcomed everyone to the anniversary luncheon and a group photograph was taken to mark the occasion. After the luncheon a loyal toast was given by the president and a toast to the club by Geoffrey Passey, its longest serving member, followed by a vote of thanks by Tom Cunningham.

The guest speaker on this occasion was Brian Earl, Curator of the Beaminster Museum. He gave a very talk on the history of the Beaminster club, the origins of probus and included some light hearted moments and personalities during the life of the club which was followed by a vote of thanks given by Rodney Corner.

Anyone from the Beaminster and Bridport areas wishing to find out more about the Beaminster Probus Club should contact the club secretary, Malcolm Webster at malcolmwebster@hotmail.com