Walks return with tales of town's 'big history'

A community group has kicked off this year's season of walks which it said offered tales of a "small town with a big history".

The 90-minute walks around Malvern, Worcestershire, include information about its connections to famous people, including Sir Edward Elgar and JRR Tolkien.

Nick St George, one of the guides for Malvern Civic Society's walks, said they had been renamed Great Malvern Heritage Walks to reflect how they gave a real insight into the town's "varied and intriguing history".

The walks, for people aged 14 and over, take place on Saturday and Monday mornings until 31 October. Tickets and more information are available at the town's tourist information centre.

The group meets at the Florence Nightingale bench in Church Street from 10:30 BST.

St George said people can hear "tales of Malvern's 19th Century heyday as a centre for the controversial water cure, of its historic Priory Church, local resident composer and cyclist Sir Edward Elgar, of C.S Lewis and JRR Tolkien and much, much more".

"We know that there are lots of ways to find out about the history of Malvern these days, but nothing beats hearing these stories in person, in the places where they actually happened," he added.

Malvern was recently named by an annual guide as the best place to live in the West Midlands, with residents praising its hills, culture and scenic views.

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.