FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 5 - 11 AUGUST 1974
This week's many stories include the St Helens schools at risk of a roof collapse, the Pilkington Gala takes place, the streakers at Rainhill's Loyola Hall, why Rainford Carnival organisers were upset over cricket, the ex-mayor who thought vandals should receive a belting, why the landlord of the Nelson felt forced to leave his pub and it's announced that the St Helens Concert Band are to appear on Opportunity Knocks.
We begin with Saints annual accounts which were released on the 5th and showed a profit during the last financial year of £11,948. That was compared with a loss of a similar amount during the previous year. But despite the club's profitability, the normal admission charges to Knowsley Road for next season were increasing by 5p to 40p, with juniors and pensioners paying 2p more at 20p.
There were echoes of the recent RAAC concrete scandal when the St Helens Reporter on the 9th described how 20 schools in the St Helens district were undergoing stringent safety checks. That was after the Department of the Environment had written to all local authorities asking them to investigate any buildings where Alumina cement may have been used. Concerns had been triggered after the roof of a London school that had used the rapid hardening concrete had collapsed.
Other buildings as well as schools were also having to be assessed, as St Helens Council's Chief Executive, Tom Taylor, explained: "We are having to check in our files for buildings which have been constructed doing the last 10 years." And structural engineer Ted Phythian stated that he would not reveal which schools were being investigated but added:
"I would like to stress that the schools are only undergoing tests and we cannot say that they are unsafe. I do not think that people should be alarmed at this stage." There was also concern that private buildings in the town may have used Alumina cement and they too would all have to be checked.
The Reporter also described how this year's big rates rise in St Helens caused by inflation and the local government reorganisation had led to a massive increase in membership of the Eccleston and Windle Property Owners Association. Last year there had only been about 30 or 40 active members but they now totalled 1,000 and the Association was targeting more members living in Eccleston Park. Their secretary Tom McCormack said: "Our door to door representatives have had a marvellous response."
The Reporter also explained how children in Crank could soon have a new playground on a site in Crank Hill. Their old playground had been lost some years ago after builders had developed the site.
In April three St Helens town centre hotels, whose standards had been judged to fall below the requirements of the new Fire Precautions Act, had been banned from taking in guests. As a result the White Hart in Church Street said it would close in January and the Market Hotel in Bridge Street would be reopening its residential side once alterations had been completed.
However, the nearby Nelson – which had been taking in residents for eight years – had decided to continue operating as a non-residential pub. But this week it was announced that landlord Bill Chesworth and his wife May were leaving the Nelson because the fire regulations had lost them customers. Mrs Chesworth told the paper:
"It seems that the fire escape would have to be rebuilt at a cost of £5,000 and the brewery have refused to do this for us, so we decided to move on. However it is very upsetting. We have spent a lot of money upstairs, and we will be leaving behind a lot of friends." Bill and May were not leaving the pub trade, however, as they were taking a tenancy at the Broad Oak Inn in Great Sankey.
Clinkards had been selling shoes in Westfield Street since 1953 and they announced in the Reporter that their annual summer sale was now on. For some reason their children's shoe sale always began a few days after their main sale and this year's would not begin until Tuesday 13th.
As one summer sale began in Westfield Street, a second advert stated that another in Bridge Street was coming to an end: "Jack Barnes Smasher Sale – Must Finish Saturday – still 100's of bargains." The offers included flared trousers for £2.50 and two-piece suits for £12.
Angela Cairns was pictured in the paper after the 16-year-old from Napier Road in St Helens, who had just left Central Secondary, had won the "Miss Glamour Legs" title while on holiday at Butlins in Skegness. The Reporter wrote: "Her long, shapely legs beat 33 other pairs and won Angela several pairs of “Glamour Girl” tights".
The paper also broke the news that the St Helens Concert Band had successfully auditioned for a spot on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks'. The band was made up mostly of 12-year-olds and was expected to appear on the TV talent show in about 6 to 8 weeks. Their 38 members practised in a room above the Elephant Hotel in Thatto Heath. Alan Davies, the orchestra's secretary, told the Reporter:
"Fred Mathias, the Band's conductor, is an ex-Marine bandmaster, and in his job in the Education Department he travels the St. Helens area giving youngsters lessons. From there we found a lot of talent and decided to put our own band together and include St. Helens in the name. We could only perform things like Three Blind Mice at the beginning, but now there is no tune too difficult for the youngsters."
The Reporter also described how this year's Rainford Carnival was in doubt because the village cricket team would be playing a vital match on the same day. The carnival was scheduled for August 24th on the recreation field behind the parish church, which was jointly owned by St Helens Council, the church and the Earl of Derby. But the cricket club had informed the carnival organisers that the top of the table clash in the Southport League must go ahead and that could severely affect arrangements for the carnival.
Parish councillor Tom Wainwright (my father) was described as being shocked by the news saying: "Thousands of people look forward to the carnival. I would hope the cricket club could do something about it even at this stage." The club captain was Robert Rose and he explained that there was no chance of a postponement as their fixture was against Dalton CC who were top of the league.
"It is a very important match", he said. "If we win, we will win the league. We have had a bit of trouble with the carnival organisers. They wanted us to postpone it but the league said we couldn't. We were offered an alternative venue at a school in Kirkby but neither side could agree."
The Reporter also related how "nosey parkers and streakers" had been invading the grounds of a Catholic retreat. Loyola Hall in Rainhill was run by the Jesuits and trespassers had been causing such a nuisance that a security firm had been hired. A spokesman for Widnes Guard Dog Hire explained how the patrols had been forced to shift youths on motorbikes:
"They were causing trouble but we soon stopped them coming through. A lady at one of the lodges said she had seen a group of teenagers dancing round naked." The woman concerned said lads were attracted to the girls that were on retreat at Loyola Hall and they had been looking through their windows late at night. She added:
"At about dusk one night, I heard some screaming and, went out to investigate. I saw four big well-developed boys run across the field without a stitch on. And there were some local girls aged about 16, by the gate, watching them and laughing."
The plague of vandalism in St Helens was not getting any better. The latest place to suffer was a hut overlooking Grange Park Playing Fields that was used as a pensioners' meeting place. The wooden walls of the hut had been kicked in; its ceiling pulled down, windows broken and floors and walls sprayed with paint.
Cllr Harry Williams criticised parents for not keeping their children in line and called for drastic punishment against those that were responsible for vandalism: "There is not the same parental control these days. When I was a lad we'd be too frightened to do anything like this – and we'd know better. What these kids need is a bloody good belting – from their parents."
Cllr Williams – who last year had served as the Mayor of St Helens – also said the council was thinking of starting an official reward scheme to catch vandals, adding: "People complain about lack of amenities but we just have not got enough money to repair and renew. We are facing a grim sort of future if this goes on."
The Pilkington Gala was now a Friday evening and all-day Saturday affair and the tenth Gala was held on the 9th and 10th of this week. However, heavy rain reduced the Friday attendance at Ruskin Drive as TV personality Eddie Waring commentated on the Rugby League sevens final and also dropped in on the various other events.
On Saturday afternoon a carnival procession was staged through the town with the Mayor and Mayoress and Lord and Lady Pilkington judging the floats outside the Town Hall. Later the BBC's Stuart Hall compered the Glass Princess competition that was open to youngsters aged between seven and ten. The now disgraced presenter also helped judge the wine and beer classes and during the evening there was an open-air barbecue with the gala ending with a fireworks display.
Talking of disgraced celebrities, from the 11th the ABC Savoy cinema in St Helens began a week's screening of Gary Glitter's film 'Remember Me This Way'. I think we all know how he will be remembered!
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the abandoned Morris Street house that was considered a danger to children, Lennon's record profits, Rainford Cricket Club's compromise and the Pilkington Gala is described as a "mammoth wash-out".
We begin with Saints annual accounts which were released on the 5th and showed a profit during the last financial year of £11,948. That was compared with a loss of a similar amount during the previous year. But despite the club's profitability, the normal admission charges to Knowsley Road for next season were increasing by 5p to 40p, with juniors and pensioners paying 2p more at 20p.
There were echoes of the recent RAAC concrete scandal when the St Helens Reporter on the 9th described how 20 schools in the St Helens district were undergoing stringent safety checks. That was after the Department of the Environment had written to all local authorities asking them to investigate any buildings where Alumina cement may have been used. Concerns had been triggered after the roof of a London school that had used the rapid hardening concrete had collapsed.
Other buildings as well as schools were also having to be assessed, as St Helens Council's Chief Executive, Tom Taylor, explained: "We are having to check in our files for buildings which have been constructed doing the last 10 years." And structural engineer Ted Phythian stated that he would not reveal which schools were being investigated but added:
"I would like to stress that the schools are only undergoing tests and we cannot say that they are unsafe. I do not think that people should be alarmed at this stage." There was also concern that private buildings in the town may have used Alumina cement and they too would all have to be checked.
The Reporter also described how this year's big rates rise in St Helens caused by inflation and the local government reorganisation had led to a massive increase in membership of the Eccleston and Windle Property Owners Association. Last year there had only been about 30 or 40 active members but they now totalled 1,000 and the Association was targeting more members living in Eccleston Park. Their secretary Tom McCormack said: "Our door to door representatives have had a marvellous response."
The Reporter also explained how children in Crank could soon have a new playground on a site in Crank Hill. Their old playground had been lost some years ago after builders had developed the site.
In April three St Helens town centre hotels, whose standards had been judged to fall below the requirements of the new Fire Precautions Act, had been banned from taking in guests. As a result the White Hart in Church Street said it would close in January and the Market Hotel in Bridge Street would be reopening its residential side once alterations had been completed.
However, the nearby Nelson – which had been taking in residents for eight years – had decided to continue operating as a non-residential pub. But this week it was announced that landlord Bill Chesworth and his wife May were leaving the Nelson because the fire regulations had lost them customers. Mrs Chesworth told the paper:
"It seems that the fire escape would have to be rebuilt at a cost of £5,000 and the brewery have refused to do this for us, so we decided to move on. However it is very upsetting. We have spent a lot of money upstairs, and we will be leaving behind a lot of friends." Bill and May were not leaving the pub trade, however, as they were taking a tenancy at the Broad Oak Inn in Great Sankey.
As one summer sale began in Westfield Street, a second advert stated that another in Bridge Street was coming to an end: "Jack Barnes Smasher Sale – Must Finish Saturday – still 100's of bargains." The offers included flared trousers for £2.50 and two-piece suits for £12.
Angela Cairns was pictured in the paper after the 16-year-old from Napier Road in St Helens, who had just left Central Secondary, had won the "Miss Glamour Legs" title while on holiday at Butlins in Skegness. The Reporter wrote: "Her long, shapely legs beat 33 other pairs and won Angela several pairs of “Glamour Girl” tights".
The paper also broke the news that the St Helens Concert Band had successfully auditioned for a spot on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks'. The band was made up mostly of 12-year-olds and was expected to appear on the TV talent show in about 6 to 8 weeks. Their 38 members practised in a room above the Elephant Hotel in Thatto Heath. Alan Davies, the orchestra's secretary, told the Reporter:
"Fred Mathias, the Band's conductor, is an ex-Marine bandmaster, and in his job in the Education Department he travels the St. Helens area giving youngsters lessons. From there we found a lot of talent and decided to put our own band together and include St. Helens in the name. We could only perform things like Three Blind Mice at the beginning, but now there is no tune too difficult for the youngsters."
The Reporter also described how this year's Rainford Carnival was in doubt because the village cricket team would be playing a vital match on the same day. The carnival was scheduled for August 24th on the recreation field behind the parish church, which was jointly owned by St Helens Council, the church and the Earl of Derby. But the cricket club had informed the carnival organisers that the top of the table clash in the Southport League must go ahead and that could severely affect arrangements for the carnival.
Parish councillor Tom Wainwright (my father) was described as being shocked by the news saying: "Thousands of people look forward to the carnival. I would hope the cricket club could do something about it even at this stage." The club captain was Robert Rose and he explained that there was no chance of a postponement as their fixture was against Dalton CC who were top of the league.
"It is a very important match", he said. "If we win, we will win the league. We have had a bit of trouble with the carnival organisers. They wanted us to postpone it but the league said we couldn't. We were offered an alternative venue at a school in Kirkby but neither side could agree."
The Reporter also related how "nosey parkers and streakers" had been invading the grounds of a Catholic retreat. Loyola Hall in Rainhill was run by the Jesuits and trespassers had been causing such a nuisance that a security firm had been hired. A spokesman for Widnes Guard Dog Hire explained how the patrols had been forced to shift youths on motorbikes:
"They were causing trouble but we soon stopped them coming through. A lady at one of the lodges said she had seen a group of teenagers dancing round naked." The woman concerned said lads were attracted to the girls that were on retreat at Loyola Hall and they had been looking through their windows late at night. She added:
"At about dusk one night, I heard some screaming and, went out to investigate. I saw four big well-developed boys run across the field without a stitch on. And there were some local girls aged about 16, by the gate, watching them and laughing."
The plague of vandalism in St Helens was not getting any better. The latest place to suffer was a hut overlooking Grange Park Playing Fields that was used as a pensioners' meeting place. The wooden walls of the hut had been kicked in; its ceiling pulled down, windows broken and floors and walls sprayed with paint.
Cllr Harry Williams criticised parents for not keeping their children in line and called for drastic punishment against those that were responsible for vandalism: "There is not the same parental control these days. When I was a lad we'd be too frightened to do anything like this – and we'd know better. What these kids need is a bloody good belting – from their parents."
Cllr Williams – who last year had served as the Mayor of St Helens – also said the council was thinking of starting an official reward scheme to catch vandals, adding: "People complain about lack of amenities but we just have not got enough money to repair and renew. We are facing a grim sort of future if this goes on."
The Pilkington Gala was now a Friday evening and all-day Saturday affair and the tenth Gala was held on the 9th and 10th of this week. However, heavy rain reduced the Friday attendance at Ruskin Drive as TV personality Eddie Waring commentated on the Rugby League sevens final and also dropped in on the various other events.
On Saturday afternoon a carnival procession was staged through the town with the Mayor and Mayoress and Lord and Lady Pilkington judging the floats outside the Town Hall. Later the BBC's Stuart Hall compered the Glass Princess competition that was open to youngsters aged between seven and ten. The now disgraced presenter also helped judge the wine and beer classes and during the evening there was an open-air barbecue with the gala ending with a fireworks display.
Talking of disgraced celebrities, from the 11th the ABC Savoy cinema in St Helens began a week's screening of Gary Glitter's film 'Remember Me This Way'. I think we all know how he will be remembered!
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the abandoned Morris Street house that was considered a danger to children, Lennon's record profits, Rainford Cricket Club's compromise and the Pilkington Gala is described as a "mammoth wash-out".
This week's many stories include the St Helens schools at risk of a roof collapse, the Pilkington Gala takes place, the streakers at Rainhill's Loyola Hall, why Rainford Carnival organisers were upset over cricket, the ex-mayor who thought vandals should receive a belting, why the landlord of the Nelson felt forced to leave his pub and it's announced that the St Helens Concert Band are to appear on Opportunity Knocks.
We begin with Saints annual accounts which were released on the 5th and showed a profit during the last financial year of £11,948.
That was compared with a loss of a similar amount during the previous year.
But despite the club's profitability, the normal admission charges to Knowsley Road for next season were increasing by 5p to 40p, with juniors and pensioners paying 2p more at 20p.
There were echoes of the recent RAAC concrete scandal when the St Helens Reporter on the 9th described how 20 schools in the St Helens district were undergoing stringent safety checks.
That was after the Department of the Environment had written to all local authorities asking them to investigate any buildings where Alumina cement may have been used.
Concerns had been triggered after the roof of a London school that had used the rapid hardening concrete had collapsed.
Other buildings as well as schools were also having to be assessed, as St Helens Council's Chief Executive, Tom Taylor, explained:
"We are having to check in our files for buildings which have been constructed doing the last 10 years."
And structural engineer Ted Phythian stated that he would not reveal which schools were being investigated but added:
"I would like to stress that the schools are only undergoing tests and we cannot say that they are unsafe. I do not think that people should be alarmed at this stage."
There was also concern that private buildings in the town may have used Alumina cement and they too would all have to be checked.
The Reporter also described how this year's big rates rise in St Helens caused by inflation and the local government reorganisation had led to a massive increase in membership of the Eccleston and Windle Property Owners Association.
Last year there had only been about 30 or 40 active members but they now totalled 1,000 and the Association was targeting more members living in Eccleston Park.
Their secretary Tom McCormack said: "Our door to door representatives have had a marvellous response."
The Reporter also explained how children in Crank could soon have a new playground on a site in Crank Hill. Their old playground had been lost some years ago after builders had developed the site.
In April three St Helens town centre hotels, whose standards had been judged to fall below the requirements of the new Fire Precautions Act, had been banned from taking in guests.
As a result the White Hart in Church Street said it would close in January and the Market Hotel in Bridge Street would be reopening its residential side once alterations had been completed.
However, the nearby Nelson – which had been taking in residents for eight years – had decided to continue operating as a non-residential pub.
But this week it was announced that landlord Bill Chesworth and his wife May were leaving the Nelson because the fire regulations had lost them customers. Mrs Chesworth told the paper:
"It seems that the fire escape would have to be rebuilt at a cost of £5,000 and the brewery have refused to do this for us, so we decided to move on.
"However it is very upsetting. We have spent a lot of money upstairs, and we will be leaving behind a lot of friends."
Bill and May were not leaving the pub trade, however, as they were taking a tenancy at the Broad Oak Inn in Great Sankey.
Clinkards had been selling shoes in Westfield Street since 1953 and they announced in the Reporter that their annual summer sale was now on.
For some reason their children's shoe sale always began a few days after their main sale and this year's would not begin until Tuesday 13th.
As one summer sale began in Westfield Street, a second advert stated that another in Bridge Street was coming to an end:
"Jack Barnes Smasher Sale – Must Finish Saturday – still 100's of bargains." The offers included flared trousers for £2.50 and two-piece suits for £12.
Angela Cairns was pictured in the paper after the 16-year-old from Napier Road in St Helens, who had just left Central Secondary, had won the "Miss Glamour Legs" title while on holiday at Butlins in Skegness.
The Reporter wrote: "Her long, shapely legs beat 33 other pairs and won Angela several pairs of “Glamour Girl” tights".
The paper also broke the news that the St Helens Concert Band had successfully auditioned for a spot on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks'.
The band was made up mostly of 12-year-olds and was expected to appear on the TV talent show in about 6 to 8 weeks.
Their 38 members practised in a room above the Elephant Hotel in Thatto Heath. Alan Davies, the orchestra's secretary, told the Reporter:
"Fred Mathias, the Band's conductor, is an ex-Marine bandmaster, and in his job in the Education Department he travels the St. Helens area giving youngsters lessons.
"From there we found a lot of talent and decided to put our own band together and include St. Helens in the name. We could only perform things like Three Blind Mice at the beginning, but now there is no tune too difficult for the youngsters."
The Reporter also described how this year's Rainford Carnival was in doubt because the village cricket team would be playing a vital match on the same day.
The carnival was scheduled for August 24th on the recreation field behind the parish church, which was jointly owned by St Helens Council, the church and the Earl of Derby.
But the cricket club had informed the carnival organisers that the top of the table clash in the Southport League must go ahead and that could severely affect arrangements for the carnival.
Parish councillor Tom Wainwright (my father) was described as being shocked by the news saying:
"Thousands of people look forward to the carnival. I would hope the cricket club could do something about it even at this stage."
The club captain was Robert Rose and he explained that there was no chance of a postponement as their fixture was against Dalton CC who were top of the league.
"It is a very important match", he said. "If we win, we will win the league. We have had a bit of trouble with the carnival organisers.
"They wanted us to postpone it but the league said we couldn't. We were offered an alternative venue at a school in Kirkby but neither side could agree."
The Reporter also related how "nosey parkers and streakers" had been invading the grounds of a Catholic retreat.
Loyola Hall in Rainhill was run by the Jesuits and trespassers had been causing such a nuisance that a security firm had been hired.
A spokesman for Widnes Guard Dog Hire explained how the patrols had been forced to shift youths on motorbikes:
"They were causing trouble but we soon stopped them coming through. A lady at one of the lodges said she had seen a group of teenagers dancing round naked."
The woman concerned said lads were attracted to the girls that were on retreat at Loyola Hall and they had been looking through their windows late at night. She added:
"At about dusk one night, I heard some screaming and, went out to investigate. I saw four big well-developed boys run across the field without a stitch on. And there were some local girls aged about 16, by the gate, watching them and laughing."
The plague of vandalism in St Helens was not getting any better.
The latest place to suffer was a hut overlooking Grange Park Playing Fields that was used as a pensioners' meeting place.
The wooden walls of the hut had been kicked in; its ceiling pulled down, windows broken and floors and walls sprayed with paint.
Cllr Harry Williams criticised parents for not keeping their children in line and called for drastic punishment against those that were responsible for vandalism:
"There is not the same parental control these days. When I was a lad we'd be too frightened to do anything like this – and we'd know better. What these kids need is a bloody good belting – from their parents."
Cllr Williams – who last year had served as the Mayor of St Helens – also said the council was thinking of starting an official reward scheme to catch vandals, adding:
"People complain about lack of amenities but we just have not got enough money to repair and renew. We are facing a grim sort of future if this goes on."
The Pilkington Gala was now a Friday evening and all-day Saturday affair and the tenth Gala was held on the 9th and 10th of this week.
However, heavy rain reduced the Friday attendance at Ruskin Drive as TV personality Eddie Waring commentated on the Rugby League sevens final and also dropped in on the various other events.
On Saturday afternoon a carnival procession was staged through the town with the Mayor and Mayoress and Lord and Lady Pilkington judging the floats outside the Town Hall.
Later the BBC's Stuart Hall compered the Glass Princess competition that was open to youngsters aged between seven and ten.
The now disgraced presenter also helped judge the wine and beer classes and during the evening there was an open-air barbecue with the gala ending with a fireworks display.
Talking of disgraced celebrities, from the 11th the ABC Savoy cinema in St Helens began a week's screening of Gary Glitter's film 'Remember Me This Way'.
I think we all know how he will be remembered!
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the abandoned Morris Street house that was considered a danger to children, Lennon's record profits, Rainford Cricket Club's compromise and the Pilkington Gala is described as a "mammoth wash-out".
We begin with Saints annual accounts which were released on the 5th and showed a profit during the last financial year of £11,948.
That was compared with a loss of a similar amount during the previous year.
But despite the club's profitability, the normal admission charges to Knowsley Road for next season were increasing by 5p to 40p, with juniors and pensioners paying 2p more at 20p.
There were echoes of the recent RAAC concrete scandal when the St Helens Reporter on the 9th described how 20 schools in the St Helens district were undergoing stringent safety checks.
That was after the Department of the Environment had written to all local authorities asking them to investigate any buildings where Alumina cement may have been used.
Concerns had been triggered after the roof of a London school that had used the rapid hardening concrete had collapsed.
Other buildings as well as schools were also having to be assessed, as St Helens Council's Chief Executive, Tom Taylor, explained:
"We are having to check in our files for buildings which have been constructed doing the last 10 years."
And structural engineer Ted Phythian stated that he would not reveal which schools were being investigated but added:
"I would like to stress that the schools are only undergoing tests and we cannot say that they are unsafe. I do not think that people should be alarmed at this stage."
There was also concern that private buildings in the town may have used Alumina cement and they too would all have to be checked.
The Reporter also described how this year's big rates rise in St Helens caused by inflation and the local government reorganisation had led to a massive increase in membership of the Eccleston and Windle Property Owners Association.
Last year there had only been about 30 or 40 active members but they now totalled 1,000 and the Association was targeting more members living in Eccleston Park.
Their secretary Tom McCormack said: "Our door to door representatives have had a marvellous response."
The Reporter also explained how children in Crank could soon have a new playground on a site in Crank Hill. Their old playground had been lost some years ago after builders had developed the site.
In April three St Helens town centre hotels, whose standards had been judged to fall below the requirements of the new Fire Precautions Act, had been banned from taking in guests.
As a result the White Hart in Church Street said it would close in January and the Market Hotel in Bridge Street would be reopening its residential side once alterations had been completed.
However, the nearby Nelson – which had been taking in residents for eight years – had decided to continue operating as a non-residential pub.
But this week it was announced that landlord Bill Chesworth and his wife May were leaving the Nelson because the fire regulations had lost them customers. Mrs Chesworth told the paper:
"It seems that the fire escape would have to be rebuilt at a cost of £5,000 and the brewery have refused to do this for us, so we decided to move on.
"However it is very upsetting. We have spent a lot of money upstairs, and we will be leaving behind a lot of friends."
Bill and May were not leaving the pub trade, however, as they were taking a tenancy at the Broad Oak Inn in Great Sankey.
For some reason their children's shoe sale always began a few days after their main sale and this year's would not begin until Tuesday 13th.
As one summer sale began in Westfield Street, a second advert stated that another in Bridge Street was coming to an end:
"Jack Barnes Smasher Sale – Must Finish Saturday – still 100's of bargains." The offers included flared trousers for £2.50 and two-piece suits for £12.
Angela Cairns was pictured in the paper after the 16-year-old from Napier Road in St Helens, who had just left Central Secondary, had won the "Miss Glamour Legs" title while on holiday at Butlins in Skegness.
The Reporter wrote: "Her long, shapely legs beat 33 other pairs and won Angela several pairs of “Glamour Girl” tights".
The paper also broke the news that the St Helens Concert Band had successfully auditioned for a spot on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks'.
The band was made up mostly of 12-year-olds and was expected to appear on the TV talent show in about 6 to 8 weeks.
Their 38 members practised in a room above the Elephant Hotel in Thatto Heath. Alan Davies, the orchestra's secretary, told the Reporter:
"Fred Mathias, the Band's conductor, is an ex-Marine bandmaster, and in his job in the Education Department he travels the St. Helens area giving youngsters lessons.
"From there we found a lot of talent and decided to put our own band together and include St. Helens in the name. We could only perform things like Three Blind Mice at the beginning, but now there is no tune too difficult for the youngsters."
The Reporter also described how this year's Rainford Carnival was in doubt because the village cricket team would be playing a vital match on the same day.
The carnival was scheduled for August 24th on the recreation field behind the parish church, which was jointly owned by St Helens Council, the church and the Earl of Derby.
But the cricket club had informed the carnival organisers that the top of the table clash in the Southport League must go ahead and that could severely affect arrangements for the carnival.
Parish councillor Tom Wainwright (my father) was described as being shocked by the news saying:
"Thousands of people look forward to the carnival. I would hope the cricket club could do something about it even at this stage."
The club captain was Robert Rose and he explained that there was no chance of a postponement as their fixture was against Dalton CC who were top of the league.
"It is a very important match", he said. "If we win, we will win the league. We have had a bit of trouble with the carnival organisers.
"They wanted us to postpone it but the league said we couldn't. We were offered an alternative venue at a school in Kirkby but neither side could agree."
The Reporter also related how "nosey parkers and streakers" had been invading the grounds of a Catholic retreat.
Loyola Hall in Rainhill was run by the Jesuits and trespassers had been causing such a nuisance that a security firm had been hired.
A spokesman for Widnes Guard Dog Hire explained how the patrols had been forced to shift youths on motorbikes:
"They were causing trouble but we soon stopped them coming through. A lady at one of the lodges said she had seen a group of teenagers dancing round naked."
The woman concerned said lads were attracted to the girls that were on retreat at Loyola Hall and they had been looking through their windows late at night. She added:
"At about dusk one night, I heard some screaming and, went out to investigate. I saw four big well-developed boys run across the field without a stitch on. And there were some local girls aged about 16, by the gate, watching them and laughing."
The plague of vandalism in St Helens was not getting any better.
The latest place to suffer was a hut overlooking Grange Park Playing Fields that was used as a pensioners' meeting place.
The wooden walls of the hut had been kicked in; its ceiling pulled down, windows broken and floors and walls sprayed with paint.
Cllr Harry Williams criticised parents for not keeping their children in line and called for drastic punishment against those that were responsible for vandalism:
"There is not the same parental control these days. When I was a lad we'd be too frightened to do anything like this – and we'd know better. What these kids need is a bloody good belting – from their parents."
Cllr Williams – who last year had served as the Mayor of St Helens – also said the council was thinking of starting an official reward scheme to catch vandals, adding:
"People complain about lack of amenities but we just have not got enough money to repair and renew. We are facing a grim sort of future if this goes on."
The Pilkington Gala was now a Friday evening and all-day Saturday affair and the tenth Gala was held on the 9th and 10th of this week.
However, heavy rain reduced the Friday attendance at Ruskin Drive as TV personality Eddie Waring commentated on the Rugby League sevens final and also dropped in on the various other events.
On Saturday afternoon a carnival procession was staged through the town with the Mayor and Mayoress and Lord and Lady Pilkington judging the floats outside the Town Hall.
Later the BBC's Stuart Hall compered the Glass Princess competition that was open to youngsters aged between seven and ten.
The now disgraced presenter also helped judge the wine and beer classes and during the evening there was an open-air barbecue with the gala ending with a fireworks display.
Talking of disgraced celebrities, from the 11th the ABC Savoy cinema in St Helens began a week's screening of Gary Glitter's film 'Remember Me This Way'.
I think we all know how he will be remembered!
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the abandoned Morris Street house that was considered a danger to children, Lennon's record profits, Rainford Cricket Club's compromise and the Pilkington Gala is described as a "mammoth wash-out".