THERE will be a change of speaker at a talk for the Ledbury and District Civic Society, this Friday (May 26).

A lecture was set to have been given by Christopher Atkinson on Herefordshire’s Medieval Buildings, but Mr Atkinson is unavailable and the group's chairman, Chris Johnson, has stepped into his place at the eleventh hour.

A group spokesman said: "The subject of Chris’s talk is “Tree pests and diseases”, an appropriate subject with the eruption of ash die-back and other unwelcome afflictions, often originating in imported timber.

"Some members will remember the sorry changes to the rural landscape affected by Dutch elm disease and we all need to be on the look-out for tell-tale signs of sickness in our precious woodlands."

The talk will take place at 7.30pm this Friday, in the Burgage Hall, Church Lane.