BLAISDON residents of yesteryear will be reminiscing today at a prestigious launch for a book of memories.

The Russian millionaire owner of Blaisdon Hall Andrey Zhelamskiy has generously agreed to host an invite-only function to launch Blaisdon: Life in a Country Parish. High Sheriff Ceri Evans will officiate.

In a mammoth four-year-long undertaking, the photographic book's editors Elizabeth Perry (nee Etherington) and Margaret Hogg, managed to track down everyone who had lived in Blaisdon parish from 1935 to 1964.

"We chose 1965 as the cut-off time because that was when the railway station shut, which marked the end of an era for Blaisdon," said Mrs Perry.

"I arrived here as a baby in 1944, an evacuee from London," she explained. "I recently moved back to the parish, and while we all knew each other when we were growing up, most people don't know each other nowadays and haven't long lived in the village. I moved back to the parish recently and I don't know hardly anyone who lives here now.

"Margaret lived in the Red Hart pub and we went to school and church together. Growing up in a pub, she has plenty of tales to tell!

"Blaisdon was an amazing place, full of life, and in those days had a shop. It often felt as if we were one big family – and that included the Silesians religious order who then lived in Blaisdon Hall, and who have contributed to the book – which charts when they lived in the village during the 1940s. They have written some lovely pieces.

"We had to do a lot of investigation, and in the last six months I haven't left my room as I've been typing up people's memories non-stop! Two of them now live in Australia – but everyone was thrilled to contribute old photographs and write up their memories."

The large hardback book costs £20 and 500 copies have been printed.

"We have already had orders totalling £3,000, but we need £4,000 to pay for the publishing," said Mrs Perry. "After that, any proceeds will go to Blaisdon Church and the village hall."

Mrs Perry's late father Cedric Etherington spent much of his retired life compiling a village history, but never got as far as publishing it.

"We decided to do something similar, but a bit different," she said.

Copies will be available from Longhope Post Office, Fairview Nursery & Garden Shop in Birdwood and the Forest Bookshop in Coleford.