Stroud Book Group has celebrated its 30th anniversary.

The group, which held an anniversary dinner at Star Anise to mark the occasion, has met every month since September 1989.

Past and present members came along to mark the thirty years of reading and discussion of almost 330 books.

Author Katie Fforde, an early member of the group, said: "There is only one thing more pleasurable than reading a really good book and that is being able to discuss it with friends.

"Books connect people like nothing else and even if you disagree about the book, the joy of having someone who’s shared the experience is truly life enhancing."

Another member said: "I'm not sure if many book groups have been going for this length of time, but we think it is an achievement to be celebrated.

"We had a wonderful evening together discussing our reading choices and voting on the overall favourite of thirty years."

The winner of that vote was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.