BEWDLEY Mountaineering Club celebrated its 40th anniversary last month with a trip to Deiniolen in north Wales.

The group, which caters for both hill walkers and climbers, was set up in 1974 when an advertisement was placed in the local press, encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to get together.

Members now regularly meet for visits to a local indoor climbing wall and weekend trips to Wales, the Lake District and the Peak District.

There are also annual, week-long expeditions to the Scottish Highlands and this year participants climbed Ben Macdui and Braeriach in the Cairngorms, the second and third highest mountains in the UK.

Vince Harrison, secretary of Bewdley Mountaineering Club, said: “It is great to have reached this milestone and we are looking forward to another successful period.

“Our next anniversary of 50 years will be even bigger and we hope to still be going strong then.

“The club is a group of like-minded people and it is a good way of building your confidence and getting out into the mountains.”

Bewdley Mountaineering Club, which has 28 members from across Wyre Forest, is encouraging local people with an interest in the outdoors to sign up.

Membership costs £15 a year and includes affiliation to The British Mountaineering Council.

For more details visit bewdleymountaineeringclub.co.uk