THIRTY-three years to the day since the last Somers family gathering, descendants of Halesowen’s most influential family were reunited on Saturday.

More than 80 family members attended the reunion party at the Somers Sports and Social Club, travelling from all over the country and abroad.

Club chairman Paul Hill said: “It was at recent funerals that the next - second - generation decided to hold another reunion of Walter Somers descendants to bring together the third generation that 33 years ago were too young to remember and the fourth generation that were not even thought of.”

Walter Somers, born in 1839, founder of the town’s famous engineering company, had 13 children, and although many died young, five children, Seth, Alice, William, Lillian and Frank married and their family tree boasts 212 living descendants with more than 50 living abroad, in the USA, France, Belgium, Norway, Brazil, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Guernsey.

The family brought memorabilia and artefacts to the reunion and had lunch and photographs taken at the Grange, the grade II listed building which was given in trust to the workers and families of Walter Somers in 1949 as a sports and social club.

Historian John Wilkes gave a presentation about the Grange and Mr Hill outlined what was happening at club now.