STOURPORT is used to having people from outside of the area regularly visit the town to enjoy its picturesque riverside location.

However, 10 times in the past eight years, the area has received a visit from a man who travels more than 4,000 miles to see his Wyre Forest family.

Todd Wallbaum, 47, was born and has lived in Ashland, Illinois for his whole life, but he discovered that his grandmother, Margaret "Jessie" Kimberley, was from Hagley and his US-born grandfather, Ralph "Russ" Jones, was stationed in Stourport during the Second World War.

“My grandpa was a butcher by trade,” he said.

“He was about 36-years-old at the time the war broke out and because of his age, and the fact that he was a butcher, the US army put him in the job at the 114th General Hospital on Burlish Top.

“He incorporated all the meals and did a lot of runs to Blakedown to the trade depot to get supplies.

“Not only that, but he was also an 8mm buff, so he took a lot of black and white films while the war was ongoing.

“I’ve got an immense amount of films of the area including Stourport and the hospital on Burlish Top that I find really interesting.”

Todd has relatives who have settled in Bewdley and kept in touch with them for many years before finally taking a trip “over the pond” eight years ago.

“I re-introduced myself to the other side of my family and we hit it off smashingly,” he said.

“I’ve made a lot of good friends and feel really welcome here - which is the reason why I keep coming back.

“There is no comparison to where I live to here, it’s completely different.

“It’s almost like going to Disneyland every time I come back because each time I turn around the corner there’s something that I’ve never seen before."

To round off his tenth trip to the area, Todd visited Burlish Top with other members of the We Love Stourport-on-Severn: Past and Present Day facebook page to see the memorial of the hospital site.

He added: “I’ve made so many good friends over here that I will always come back.”