Penryn Netball Club celebrate their 50th anniversary with a birthday dinner at the end of the month.

The event takes place on Friday, at Merchants Manor in Falmouth.

All current and previous club members, parents, friends, partners and supporters are welcome. For more information on tickets search 'Penryn Netball' on Facebook or call Robyn on 07525 009762.

The club originally started off as a keep fit class at Penryn School.

Members were Barbara Drew, Margaret Richards, Josephine Drew, Heather Scott, Deanna Rose, Syliva Symons, Helena Ellenbrook, Kay Quintrell, Jenny Miller and Angela Fisher.

The class was taken by Jenny Butts, the PE teacher at that time.

The women attending preferred netball to keep fit and Jenny arranged some friendlies against teams such as Basement, Goonhilly, Penrose and Culdrose.

Many of the courts were pieced together, with one at St Ives marked out with chalk.

A cast iron heater encroached on part of the Porthleven court, while at Penrose care had to be taken not to throw the ball into the low strip lighting.

At Culdrose, the players had to negotiate the aerodrome to get to the hangar and would occasionally end up on the runway.

By 1974 several teams had been formed throughout the county and it was then that the Netball League was started.

There was just one division - compared to six now - and in the early days, transport was a problem, as there were very few players with cars.

The club was successful, winning the league and most of the tournaments arranged throughout the county, twice reaching Wembley in 1980 and 1981 to represent the South West.