A group of women in their 70s and 80s are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their book club and friendship.

The first seven members of the group met in 1975 and have since read more than 350 books, welcomed 30 members, met 500 times and consumed more than 1,000 bottles of wine.

One of the original members of the group, Elspeth Davis, started the group as she was a new mother at the time and said she needed something else to "exercise" her mind.

"I've really enjoyed the variety of books we've read and the friendship and the camaraderie," said fellow member Jill Stanley.

Ms Davis brought back the idea of a book club from Canada, where she had been living for six years.

The group is named Lit – short for Literary Circle – and was first hosted at her home in the North Somerset village of Easton-in-Gordano.

"The variety of books is absolutely amazing and there are lots of books that I never would have thought to pick up," Mary Donaldson, who joined the group in 1978, said.

But although the readers have covered a lot of ground with their choices – from thrillers to poetry – the one genre they have failed to agree to try is science fiction.