AROUND 200 descendants of Alfred and Laura Anning gathered at a reunion in Beer on Sunday.

Alfred (Alfie) was born in Colyton in 1867 and Laura (Liz) was born in Kilmington in 1867. They had 12 children: Lilly, Amy, Harold, Ern, Elsie, Laura, Hermon, Albert, Joe, Olive, Gertrude and Wallace. The family holds a small gathering every summer, but this time organiser Sam Anning extended the invitation to the wider family.

The event at Beer Albion Football Club attracted 170 adults and 30 children. There was a hog roast, licensed bar, children’s games and bouncy castle and music from The Barries.

While working out who to invite, Sam traced the family back to Alfie’s great-grandfather William, from Colyton, who married Jane Nyass in 1790. The family tree he subsequently created is 28ft long, and was on show at the reunion for guests to add information to if they could.

Painer, decorator and gardener Sam lives with wife Marlene, in Fore Street, Beer. Their daughter Lucy, 28, came over from London for the event, but son Joseph, 26, was in Spain. Sam said: “Everyone was really pleased to get together. They enjoyed looking at the family tree and see where they fitted in to it.”