A COLLECTION of local history books, collected by the late Dr Peter Catlin, have been placed on long term loan to Bream Community Library by his family, in his memory.

The collection, which covers the Forest and surrounding area, includes some written in the nineteenth century.

Phil Morton of the Bream Community Library said: "We are very pleased to have received the collection on long term loan from Mrs Catlin and family and we think that people interested in the history of the area will find it a great addition to the library."

Mrs Catlin, who now lives in New Zealand, has purchased a dedicated bookcase for the collection, which is free to access, for reference only, during the library opening hours.

Mr Morton added: "We would like to thank Mrs Catlin and her daughters for the opportunity to share her late husband's passion for the history of the Forest with a wider audience."

Dr Peter Catlin was a GP at Yorkley Health Centre and also did casualty duty at Lydney Hospital, and lived with his family near Bream.

The library also has a collection of records put together by Mr Morton about the lives of men from parishes in the western part of the Forest who served in the First World War.