The Blue Badge Guides of the Heart of England Tourist Guides Association held their AGM 2009 in the prestigeous location of the brand-new Severn Theatre in Shrewsbury in April - the first function to take place in the theatre's Conference Suite.

Situated on the very bank of the Severn,  just next to the Welsh Bridge,  this modern venue includes a studio theatre as well as its main auditorium,  the most modern facilities of all sorts, together with the items you would expect, such as the comfortable bars & eating places.  It has already a full programme of plays, musicals & concerts in place & is attracting wide attention from the people of the town & the areas round about.

The Guides always pick an interesting  location for their meetings, which have taken place over the years in such spots as the National Memorial Arboretum,  the ancient town of Ludlow, Lichfield for its Cathedral,  in the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford,  in the Bass Brewery Museum in Burton on Trent - we are anything but hide-bound in our choices.  Apart from the new Theatre, Shrewsbury seemed to be the best choice last year,  not only for its beauty & historic interest, but also as the birthplace of Charles Darwin in  his bicentenary year & the 150th anniversary of the publication of the controversial "On the Origin of Species".  For 2010, the venue was the Old Grammar School in King's Norton, which readers will remember as the winner of the "Restoration" programme on TV a couple of years ago.