A regional journalist has published what he describes as the “tabloid version” of his home town’s history and claims to fame.

‘Ooh Aah Droitwich Spa’ has been put together by Adrian Caffery, who began his career as a reporter on the town’s local newspaper the Droitwich Spa Advertiser.

Now a sub-editor and page designer at the Birmingham Post and Mail, Adrian said he wanted the book to focus on stories that made readers go ‘ooh’ and ‘aah.’

He described the book, whose title recalls a 1990s advertising campaign for the Daily Star, as “a kind of tabloid version” of the town’s history.

The collection of “fascinating and fun stories” about the Worcestershire town includes its role in the growth of vacuum cleaners and its links to The Archers, comedy legend Rik Mayall and even Tony the Tiger.

There are plenty of quirky tales, too, including the world’s longest tennis rally, the baby abandoned in a cinema toilet, and the prisoner of war who jumped from a moving train to escape the Nazis.

Said Adrian:  “I wanted the book to have broad appeal, so I focused on stories that would literally make readers go ‘ooh’ or ‘aah’, and I designed it in a magazine style. It’s a kind of tabloid version of Droitwich’s history.”

He has already received positive feedback from The Alan Ball Awards, a scheme which recognises outstanding contributions in local history publishing.

Organisers wrote: “The judges felt Ooh Aah Droitwich Spa was a wonderful publication, brilliantly researched and beautifully produced with some great images. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

“The style of the publication makes it very accessible, cleverly weaving in both early and modern references to Droitwich’s heritage, especially its social, political and economic history, and the people connected to the town.”