The title of Robert Barber’s talk on 8th August was “Alternatives to the Carpet Factory”. He grew up in Kidderminster and the town is, of course, famous for its carpets. Their manufacture was a major source of employment. Robert outlined a few other industries starting with cycle manufacture which was superseded by the mass manufacturers in the large towns. Public transport was illustrated by the tram system which ran as far as Stourport until closure in 1929. Midland Red buses took over, having seen off the competition from smaller operators. Groceries and provisions were also highlighted, demonstrating how the market altered over the years. Milling was also prominent in the town, grain being transported by canal. Finally, motor manufacture was shown, in particular the 3-wheeler produced by the Castle Motor Company, a sole example of which survives and was shown on a clip from BBC TV Midlands News. Illustrated by fascinating photographs of then and now, Robert demonstrated just how dramatically the town has changed. We meet at 10:00 every Thursday at The Boathouse, Evesham Rowing Club. Our speaker on 15th August is our member Bob Turner on “Steel Tube and Steam” and on 22nd August Roy Albutt’s talk is entitled “Light and Colour”. Full details can be found on our website www.eveshamprobus.co.uk Alan Smith Photo captions: Castle Three, 1922 produced in Kidderminster Brinton's carpet pattern, also produced in Kidderminster