FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 19 - 25 JANUARY 1976
This week's many stories include the fire at St Helens Greyhound Stadium, the plans to stage a re-enactment of the Rainhill Trials, work begins on the first Mormon place of worship in St Helens, the Miss Françoise 1976 contest, the town's MP campaigns against fly-by-night traders and the public inquiry into Leathers Chemicals comes to an end.
We begin on the 19th when Windle Parish Council agreed that property on the Windle Grange estate would be ideal as a recreational centre and Village Hall. "It is an opportunity of a lifetime", said Cllr Tony Rimmer. "The first time we will have a positive contribution to make to the village." Nothing had been agreed as yet and if the council decided to buy the historic Windle Grange residence, it would probably mean an increase in their rates precept.
Twelve months ago an entertainments firm called Gibson and Tibet had leased premises in Waterloo Street from owners Greenalls and created a new club called Francoise. In an advertising feature in the St Helens Reporter they wrote: "It's here! At last it has arrived – yes folks, a stunning night-spot guaranteed to bring new life and a barrel full of fun to St. Helens. The new club, dubbed Francoise, should revolutionise the town's night life by knocking on the head the concept that St. Helens is a dreary town with a dull entertainments scene."
In this week's Reporter published on the 23rd, there was an advert for the Miss Françoise 1976 contest. On offer for the winner was a "Continental holiday for two in Spain and many other prizes. Free entry for all girls over 20 years of age." Four heats were scheduled over the next four weeks with the Grand Final featuring unnamed celebrities taking place on February 19th.
I'm not sure exactly when the Geraldo Club in Lord Street had opened but it was probably in the mid to late 1960s. However, they were now calling themselves the New Geraldo and advertising: "Warm friendly atmosphere. Soft lights, parties catered for. Cheapest prices [of] any night club in town." Unlike Françoise, the New Geraldo had a wide range of entertainment on offer and on different evenings over the following week there was:
Top Line Cabaret; Fantastic Progressive Disco with DJ Darrel Jay "music and fantastic lights"; Country & Western Night - The Hillsiders; Dancing To The New Geraldo Band and a Progressive Disco with Tony Fyne.
The Reporter's lead story concerned a campaign by Leslie Spriggs, the town's MP, against fly-by-night traders. He said: "I have received many complaints from constituents fleeced by these so-called businessmen, who have done very unsatisfactory work and charged outrageous prices. Some people have lost thousands of pounds."
The Reporter said Spriggs's most frequent complaint came from traders who were owed money for work done for fly-by-nighters who later went out of business and did not pay their creditors. Then, after going into liquidation, they might start up again under a new name, something that still, of course, takes place today.
"This type of devious dealer should be treated as a criminal and jailed for his misconduct", added Mr Spriggs. The St Helens MP wanted to get an amendment passed to the forthcoming Trade Bill to give the public greater protection.
The Reporter revealed that the Mormons – or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – had begun work on a chapel at the junction of Four Acre Lane and Chester Lane. It would be the first Mormon place of worship in St Helens since the group had been formed in the town in 1961.
Services and meetings had initially been held in hired rooms in George Street and, more recently, in Boundary Road and the church said they now had 200 members. The news would not please the Rev. Gordon Williams, the outspoken Vicar of St Mark's in North Road, who for some time had been warning his parishioners against Mormons knocking on their doors.
There was a picture in the Reporter of a cat called Ginger who would be twenty in June and thought to be the oldest moggy in St Helens. Ginger belonged to Greta Bradley and her daughter Jennifer and lived at Reginald Road in Sutton where he spent his days sleeping on the family sofa.
Although the country was now out of a lengthy recession, firms were still laying off workers. The Reporter wrote: "As the national jobless figure reaches new heights the number of unemployed in St. Helens soared this month with an extra 350 on the dole. This brings the total number of people out of work in the town to 5,223, of whom 3,952 are men." Nearly one in ten of the working population of the town were currently out of work.
On January 6th a public inquiry had begun into St Helens Council's decision to close down Leathers Chemicals in Sutton after years of residents' complaints. At the time the Reporter had called the closure decision "revolutionary". After three weeks of taking evidence, the inquiry had now ended with the Reporter stating that the company's case had been built around a claim of insufficient evidence of harm from their emissions.
Their counsel had made the odd statements that closing Leathers without medical evidence was like building without foundations or performing Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark! The Inspector chairing the sessions would now have to decide whether or not to recommend to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, that he should confirm the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane sulphuric acid plant.
The Reporter also stated that St Helens County Councillor George Brownlow had "blasted" his colleagues on the County Passenger Transport Committee and said they might as well dump their bus fleet into the Mersey! The Eccleston councillor was upset that the committee had refused to support his ideas to attract more passengers to the buses.
These include a single fare for crosstown services where currently passengers needed to use two buses and a cheaper system of fare paying for journeys up to 5 miles. However, the committee said that they had costed his ideas and felt that if introduced, they would result in a huge loss of income. The paper also announced that a "shock" 22% increase in the general water charges was facing St Helens ratepayers.
"Those glorious days of steam may be coming back to Rainhill – with a replica of Stephenson's Rocket." That was how the Reporter described proposals to stage a re-enactment of the Rainhill Trials in October 1979 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway. No final decision had yet been made but the County Council was planning to consult all interested parties, with Cllr Bill Jones saying: "I am sure this event will bring enjoyment to thousands of people – not only in Merseyside but in the whole country."
On the 25th firemen fought for five hours to control a blaze at the St Helens Greyhound Stadium in Park Road. The fire caused £25,000 worth of damage, destroying the tote office containing all the totalisator machines, as well as the roof and the insides of the refreshment room. An electrical fault was believed to have caused the fire. Stadium Manager Reg Cooton said:
"Someone, I do not know who, phoned the fire service. I arrived and watched the firemen battle with the blaze until the early hours of the morning. We were very lucky that neither the track nor the main stand was affected at all by the fire."
And finally, at the Capitol Cinema from the 25th, 'Race With The Devil' starring Peter Fonda replaced 'Confessions of a Pop Performer' starring Robin Askwith. Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'Jaws' entered its fifth week of screening.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the pram-pushing mothers who barricaded Merton Bank Road, the new Bold diving chamber, the proposed ban on a new children's game and the Blackbrook families boycotting their local surgery.
We begin on the 19th when Windle Parish Council agreed that property on the Windle Grange estate would be ideal as a recreational centre and Village Hall. "It is an opportunity of a lifetime", said Cllr Tony Rimmer. "The first time we will have a positive contribution to make to the village." Nothing had been agreed as yet and if the council decided to buy the historic Windle Grange residence, it would probably mean an increase in their rates precept.
Twelve months ago an entertainments firm called Gibson and Tibet had leased premises in Waterloo Street from owners Greenalls and created a new club called Francoise. In an advertising feature in the St Helens Reporter they wrote: "It's here! At last it has arrived – yes folks, a stunning night-spot guaranteed to bring new life and a barrel full of fun to St. Helens. The new club, dubbed Francoise, should revolutionise the town's night life by knocking on the head the concept that St. Helens is a dreary town with a dull entertainments scene."
In this week's Reporter published on the 23rd, there was an advert for the Miss Françoise 1976 contest. On offer for the winner was a "Continental holiday for two in Spain and many other prizes. Free entry for all girls over 20 years of age." Four heats were scheduled over the next four weeks with the Grand Final featuring unnamed celebrities taking place on February 19th.
I'm not sure exactly when the Geraldo Club in Lord Street had opened but it was probably in the mid to late 1960s. However, they were now calling themselves the New Geraldo and advertising: "Warm friendly atmosphere. Soft lights, parties catered for. Cheapest prices [of] any night club in town." Unlike Françoise, the New Geraldo had a wide range of entertainment on offer and on different evenings over the following week there was:
Top Line Cabaret; Fantastic Progressive Disco with DJ Darrel Jay "music and fantastic lights"; Country & Western Night - The Hillsiders; Dancing To The New Geraldo Band and a Progressive Disco with Tony Fyne.
The Reporter's lead story concerned a campaign by Leslie Spriggs, the town's MP, against fly-by-night traders. He said: "I have received many complaints from constituents fleeced by these so-called businessmen, who have done very unsatisfactory work and charged outrageous prices. Some people have lost thousands of pounds."
The Reporter said Spriggs's most frequent complaint came from traders who were owed money for work done for fly-by-nighters who later went out of business and did not pay their creditors. Then, after going into liquidation, they might start up again under a new name, something that still, of course, takes place today.
"This type of devious dealer should be treated as a criminal and jailed for his misconduct", added Mr Spriggs. The St Helens MP wanted to get an amendment passed to the forthcoming Trade Bill to give the public greater protection.
Services and meetings had initially been held in hired rooms in George Street and, more recently, in Boundary Road and the church said they now had 200 members. The news would not please the Rev. Gordon Williams, the outspoken Vicar of St Mark's in North Road, who for some time had been warning his parishioners against Mormons knocking on their doors.
There was a picture in the Reporter of a cat called Ginger who would be twenty in June and thought to be the oldest moggy in St Helens. Ginger belonged to Greta Bradley and her daughter Jennifer and lived at Reginald Road in Sutton where he spent his days sleeping on the family sofa.
Although the country was now out of a lengthy recession, firms were still laying off workers. The Reporter wrote: "As the national jobless figure reaches new heights the number of unemployed in St. Helens soared this month with an extra 350 on the dole. This brings the total number of people out of work in the town to 5,223, of whom 3,952 are men." Nearly one in ten of the working population of the town were currently out of work.
On January 6th a public inquiry had begun into St Helens Council's decision to close down Leathers Chemicals in Sutton after years of residents' complaints. At the time the Reporter had called the closure decision "revolutionary". After three weeks of taking evidence, the inquiry had now ended with the Reporter stating that the company's case had been built around a claim of insufficient evidence of harm from their emissions.
Their counsel had made the odd statements that closing Leathers without medical evidence was like building without foundations or performing Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark! The Inspector chairing the sessions would now have to decide whether or not to recommend to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, that he should confirm the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane sulphuric acid plant.
The Reporter also stated that St Helens County Councillor George Brownlow had "blasted" his colleagues on the County Passenger Transport Committee and said they might as well dump their bus fleet into the Mersey! The Eccleston councillor was upset that the committee had refused to support his ideas to attract more passengers to the buses.
These include a single fare for crosstown services where currently passengers needed to use two buses and a cheaper system of fare paying for journeys up to 5 miles. However, the committee said that they had costed his ideas and felt that if introduced, they would result in a huge loss of income. The paper also announced that a "shock" 22% increase in the general water charges was facing St Helens ratepayers.
"Those glorious days of steam may be coming back to Rainhill – with a replica of Stephenson's Rocket." That was how the Reporter described proposals to stage a re-enactment of the Rainhill Trials in October 1979 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway. No final decision had yet been made but the County Council was planning to consult all interested parties, with Cllr Bill Jones saying: "I am sure this event will bring enjoyment to thousands of people – not only in Merseyside but in the whole country."
On the 25th firemen fought for five hours to control a blaze at the St Helens Greyhound Stadium in Park Road. The fire caused £25,000 worth of damage, destroying the tote office containing all the totalisator machines, as well as the roof and the insides of the refreshment room. An electrical fault was believed to have caused the fire. Stadium Manager Reg Cooton said:
"Someone, I do not know who, phoned the fire service. I arrived and watched the firemen battle with the blaze until the early hours of the morning. We were very lucky that neither the track nor the main stand was affected at all by the fire."
And finally, at the Capitol Cinema from the 25th, 'Race With The Devil' starring Peter Fonda replaced 'Confessions of a Pop Performer' starring Robin Askwith. Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'Jaws' entered its fifth week of screening.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the pram-pushing mothers who barricaded Merton Bank Road, the new Bold diving chamber, the proposed ban on a new children's game and the Blackbrook families boycotting their local surgery.
This week's many stories include the fire at St Helens Greyhound Stadium, the plans to stage a re-enactment of the Rainhill Trials, work begins on the first Mormon place of worship in St Helens, the Miss Françoise 1976 contest, the town's MP campaigns against fly-by-night traders and the public inquiry into Leathers Chemicals comes to an end.
We begin on the 19th when Windle Parish Council agreed that property on the Windle Grange estate would be ideal as a recreational centre and Village Hall.
"It is an opportunity of a lifetime", said Cllr Tony Rimmer. "The first time we will have a positive contribution to make to the village."
Nothing had been agreed as yet and if the council decided to buy the historic Windle Grange residence, it would probably mean an increase in their rates precept.
Twelve months ago an entertainments firm called Gibson and Tibet had leased premises in Waterloo Street from owners Greenalls and created a new club called Francoise. In an advertising feature in the St Helens Reporter they wrote:
"It's here! At last it has arrived – yes folks, a stunning night-spot guaranteed to bring new life and a barrel full of fun to St. Helens. The new club, dubbed Francoise, should revolutionise the town's night life by knocking on the head the concept that St. Helens is a dreary town with a dull entertainments scene."
In this week's Reporter published on the 23rd, there was an advert for the Miss Françoise 1976 contest.
On offer for the winner was a "Continental holiday for two in Spain and many other prizes. Free entry for all girls over 20 years of age."
Four heats were scheduled over the next four weeks with the Grand Final featuring unnamed celebrities taking place on February 19th.
I'm not sure exactly when the Geraldo Club in Lord Street had opened but it was probably in the mid to late 1960s.
However, they were now calling themselves the New Geraldo and advertising: "Warm friendly atmosphere. Soft lights, parties catered for. Cheapest prices [of] any night club in town."
Unlike Françoise, the New Geraldo had a wide range of entertainment on offer and on different evenings over the following week there was:
Top Line Cabaret; Fantastic Progressive Disco with DJ Darrel Jay "music and fantastic lights"; Country & Western Night - The Hillsiders; Dancing To The New Geraldo Band and a Progressive Disco with Tony Fyne.
The Reporter's lead story concerned a campaign by Leslie Spriggs, the town's MP, against fly-by-night traders. He said:
"I have received many complaints from constituents fleeced by these so-called businessmen, who have done very unsatisfactory work and charged outrageous prices. Some people have lost thousands of pounds."
The Reporter said Spriggs's most frequent complaint came from traders who were owed money for work done for fly-by-nighters who later went out of business and did not pay their creditors.
Then, after going into liquidation, they might start up again under a new name, something that still, of course, takes place today.
"This type of devious dealer should be treated as a criminal and jailed for his misconduct", added Mr Spriggs.
The St Helens MP wanted to get an amendment passed to the forthcoming Trade Bill to give the public greater protection.
The Reporter revealed that the Mormons – or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – had begun work on a chapel at the junction of Four Acre Lane and Chester Lane.
It would be the first Mormon place of worship in St Helens since the group had been formed in the town in 1961.
Services and meetings had initially been held in hired rooms in George Street and, more recently, in Boundary Road and the church said they now had 200 members.
The news would not please the Rev. Gordon Williams, the outspoken Vicar of St Mark's in North Road, who for some time had been warning his parishioners against Mormons knocking on their doors.
There was a picture in the Reporter of a cat called Ginger who would be twenty in June and thought to be the oldest moggy in St Helens.
Ginger belonged to Greta Bradley and her daughter Jennifer and lived at Reginald Road in Sutton where he spent his days sleeping on the family sofa.
Although the country was now out of a lengthy recession, firms were still laying off workers. The Reporter wrote:
"As the national jobless figure reaches new heights the number of unemployed in St. Helens soared this month with an extra 350 on the dole. This brings the total number of people out of work in the town to 5,223, of whom 3,952 are men."
Nearly one in ten of the working population of the town were currently out of work.
On January 6th a public inquiry had begun into St Helens Council's decision to close down Leathers Chemicals in Sutton after years of residents' complaints.
At the time the Reporter had called the closure decision "revolutionary".
After three weeks of taking evidence, the inquiry had now ended with the Reporter stating that the company's case had been built around a claim of insufficient evidence of harm from their emissions.
Their counsel had made the odd statements that closing Leathers without medical evidence was like building without foundations or performing Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark!
The Inspector chairing the sessions would now have to decide whether or not to recommend to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, that he should confirm the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane sulphuric acid plant.
The Reporter also stated that St Helens County Councillor George Brownlow had "blasted" his colleagues on the County Passenger Transport Committee and said they might as well dump their bus fleet into the Mersey!
The Eccleston councillor was upset that the committee had refused to support his ideas to attract more passengers to the buses.
These include a single fare for crosstown services where currently passengers needed to use two buses and a cheaper system of fare paying for journeys up to 5 miles.
However, the committee said that they had costed his ideas and felt that if introduced, they would result in a huge loss of income.
The paper also announced that a "shock" 22% increase in the general water charges was facing St Helens ratepayers.
"Those glorious days of steam may be coming back to Rainhill – with a replica of Stephenson's Rocket."
That was how the Reporter described proposals to stage a re-enactment of the Rainhill Trials in October 1979 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway.
No final decision had yet been made but the County Council was planning to consult all interested parties, with Cllr Bill Jones saying:
"I am sure this event will bring enjoyment to thousands of people – not only in Merseyside but in the whole country."
On the 25th firemen fought for five hours to control a blaze at the St Helens Greyhound Stadium in Park Road.
The fire caused £25,000 worth of damage, destroying the tote office containing all the totalisator machines, as well as the roof and the insides of the refreshment room.
An electrical fault was believed to have caused the fire. Stadium Manager Reg Cooton said:
"Someone, I do not know who, phoned the fire service. I arrived and watched the firemen battle with the blaze until the early hours of the morning. We were very lucky that neither the track nor the main stand was affected at all by the fire."
And finally, at the Capitol Cinema from the 25th, 'Race With The Devil' starring Peter Fonda replaced 'Confessions of a Pop Performer' starring Robin Askwith.
Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'Jaws' entered its fifth week of screening.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the pram-pushing mothers who barricaded Merton Bank Road, the new Bold diving chamber, the proposed ban on a new children's game and the Blackbrook families boycotting their local surgery.
We begin on the 19th when Windle Parish Council agreed that property on the Windle Grange estate would be ideal as a recreational centre and Village Hall.
"It is an opportunity of a lifetime", said Cllr Tony Rimmer. "The first time we will have a positive contribution to make to the village."
Nothing had been agreed as yet and if the council decided to buy the historic Windle Grange residence, it would probably mean an increase in their rates precept.
Twelve months ago an entertainments firm called Gibson and Tibet had leased premises in Waterloo Street from owners Greenalls and created a new club called Francoise. In an advertising feature in the St Helens Reporter they wrote:
"It's here! At last it has arrived – yes folks, a stunning night-spot guaranteed to bring new life and a barrel full of fun to St. Helens. The new club, dubbed Francoise, should revolutionise the town's night life by knocking on the head the concept that St. Helens is a dreary town with a dull entertainments scene."
In this week's Reporter published on the 23rd, there was an advert for the Miss Françoise 1976 contest.
On offer for the winner was a "Continental holiday for two in Spain and many other prizes. Free entry for all girls over 20 years of age."
Four heats were scheduled over the next four weeks with the Grand Final featuring unnamed celebrities taking place on February 19th.
I'm not sure exactly when the Geraldo Club in Lord Street had opened but it was probably in the mid to late 1960s.
However, they were now calling themselves the New Geraldo and advertising: "Warm friendly atmosphere. Soft lights, parties catered for. Cheapest prices [of] any night club in town."
Unlike Françoise, the New Geraldo had a wide range of entertainment on offer and on different evenings over the following week there was:
Top Line Cabaret; Fantastic Progressive Disco with DJ Darrel Jay "music and fantastic lights"; Country & Western Night - The Hillsiders; Dancing To The New Geraldo Band and a Progressive Disco with Tony Fyne.
The Reporter's lead story concerned a campaign by Leslie Spriggs, the town's MP, against fly-by-night traders. He said:
"I have received many complaints from constituents fleeced by these so-called businessmen, who have done very unsatisfactory work and charged outrageous prices. Some people have lost thousands of pounds."
The Reporter said Spriggs's most frequent complaint came from traders who were owed money for work done for fly-by-nighters who later went out of business and did not pay their creditors.
Then, after going into liquidation, they might start up again under a new name, something that still, of course, takes place today.
"This type of devious dealer should be treated as a criminal and jailed for his misconduct", added Mr Spriggs.
The St Helens MP wanted to get an amendment passed to the forthcoming Trade Bill to give the public greater protection.
It would be the first Mormon place of worship in St Helens since the group had been formed in the town in 1961.
Services and meetings had initially been held in hired rooms in George Street and, more recently, in Boundary Road and the church said they now had 200 members.
The news would not please the Rev. Gordon Williams, the outspoken Vicar of St Mark's in North Road, who for some time had been warning his parishioners against Mormons knocking on their doors.
There was a picture in the Reporter of a cat called Ginger who would be twenty in June and thought to be the oldest moggy in St Helens.
Ginger belonged to Greta Bradley and her daughter Jennifer and lived at Reginald Road in Sutton where he spent his days sleeping on the family sofa.
Although the country was now out of a lengthy recession, firms were still laying off workers. The Reporter wrote:
"As the national jobless figure reaches new heights the number of unemployed in St. Helens soared this month with an extra 350 on the dole. This brings the total number of people out of work in the town to 5,223, of whom 3,952 are men."
Nearly one in ten of the working population of the town were currently out of work.
On January 6th a public inquiry had begun into St Helens Council's decision to close down Leathers Chemicals in Sutton after years of residents' complaints.
At the time the Reporter had called the closure decision "revolutionary".
After three weeks of taking evidence, the inquiry had now ended with the Reporter stating that the company's case had been built around a claim of insufficient evidence of harm from their emissions.
Their counsel had made the odd statements that closing Leathers without medical evidence was like building without foundations or performing Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark!
The Inspector chairing the sessions would now have to decide whether or not to recommend to Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, that he should confirm the Council's Discontinuance Order on the Lancots Lane sulphuric acid plant.
The Reporter also stated that St Helens County Councillor George Brownlow had "blasted" his colleagues on the County Passenger Transport Committee and said they might as well dump their bus fleet into the Mersey!
The Eccleston councillor was upset that the committee had refused to support his ideas to attract more passengers to the buses.
These include a single fare for crosstown services where currently passengers needed to use two buses and a cheaper system of fare paying for journeys up to 5 miles.
However, the committee said that they had costed his ideas and felt that if introduced, they would result in a huge loss of income.
The paper also announced that a "shock" 22% increase in the general water charges was facing St Helens ratepayers.
"Those glorious days of steam may be coming back to Rainhill – with a replica of Stephenson's Rocket."
That was how the Reporter described proposals to stage a re-enactment of the Rainhill Trials in October 1979 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway.
No final decision had yet been made but the County Council was planning to consult all interested parties, with Cllr Bill Jones saying:
"I am sure this event will bring enjoyment to thousands of people – not only in Merseyside but in the whole country."
On the 25th firemen fought for five hours to control a blaze at the St Helens Greyhound Stadium in Park Road.
The fire caused £25,000 worth of damage, destroying the tote office containing all the totalisator machines, as well as the roof and the insides of the refreshment room.
An electrical fault was believed to have caused the fire. Stadium Manager Reg Cooton said:
"Someone, I do not know who, phoned the fire service. I arrived and watched the firemen battle with the blaze until the early hours of the morning. We were very lucky that neither the track nor the main stand was affected at all by the fire."
And finally, at the Capitol Cinema from the 25th, 'Race With The Devil' starring Peter Fonda replaced 'Confessions of a Pop Performer' starring Robin Askwith.
Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'Jaws' entered its fifth week of screening.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the pram-pushing mothers who barricaded Merton Bank Road, the new Bold diving chamber, the proposed ban on a new children's game and the Blackbrook families boycotting their local surgery.