FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 14 - 20 OCTOBER 1974
This week's many stories include Pilkington's deferral of their controversial float glass scheme, the school headmaster convicted of indecency, the criticism of St Helens Ambulance Service by its own boss, an update on the proposed new bus station for St Helens, Radio City prepares to launch, Rockware announce a big investment programme and there's details of the Theatre Royal's Christmas panto.
We begin with news of Pilkingtons proposed £20 million float glass plant that they intended to build on 100 acres of farmland in Gorsey Lane. Since the announcement was made in July there had been enormous pushback against the scheme. A Clock Face and Sutton Leach Amenity Action Group had been formed to fight it and when at the start of September it was revealed that Pilks had backup sites in mind in Rainford, Rainhill, Newton and Collins Green, concerns had quickly multiplied.
On the other side of the coin over 2,000 Pilkington workers had signed a petition calling for the new plant to built within 5 miles of St Helens. They were worried about possible job losses or long distances to commute if the new plant was built outside of the borough. As a result of all the pressure Pilkingtons released a statement at the start of this week stating that they had decided to defer their plans. In addition a further £130m in investment was also going on the backburner.
On the 15th at a meeting of the St Helens Planning Committee, a detailed report on the proposed new bus station on the site of Greenall's brewery was released. Its cost was estimated at a whopping £5 million – around £80m in today's money – and it was decided to hold a special meeting to discuss the full implications of the scheme.
The report suggested that the station would be able to accommodate at least 30 bus stands, with easy access to shops and offices. Six other possible locations – including in Water Street and Birchley Street – had been identified but the brewery site was seen as the best.
On the 16th the headmaster of Campion School for Boys in St Helens was convicted of indecently assaulting one of his pupils. Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick, the Roman Catholic Dean of St Helens, said the conviction was "the greatest tragedy of this kind I have ever known".
The 44-year-old headmaster from Prescot Road had pleaded guilty in front of St Helens Magistrates to two charges of indecently assaulting a 13-year-old pupil in his office. After the second offence had been committed, the boy had run out of the school and told his mother what had happened and she immediately contacted the police.
Canon Fitzpatrick was the chairman of the governors of Campion School and had sent a letter to the magistrates saying the accused was a dedicated man and was very well respected by the governors, teachers and parents. The head was fined £25 on each charge. After the hearing Canon Fitzpatrick told the Reporter:
"All I can say is that he had a tremendous background of problems, it is a great pity that this was the outcome." There was no mention in the report of any concern having been expressed for the welfare of the child or whether the headmaster was still in his job.
Also on the 16th – a couple of days after Pilkington's had announced the deferral of their float glass scheme and other investment – Rockware (pictured above) announced that £9 million of their own investment programme would be coming to St Helens. The glass firm had 1,600 workers in Pocket Nook and over the next four years a new amber-glass furnace would be installed, as well as an automatic handling system to deal with finished products. A new amenity block for employees – which would include a canteen – would also be built.
A Mannequin Parade was held in Rainford Village Hall on the 16th in aid of "Rainford old folks". Tickets were priced at 35p.
There was more despair at a council Planning Committee meeting this week over the failure of their clampdown on betting shops. That was after the Department of the Environment had upheld an appeal against the siting of a betting shop near the Eccleston Arms on Prescot Road. Cllr Eric Kerr said: "I have never known us to win one of these appeals. It is the same old ritual."
In July it was stated that there were more than 70 betting shops operating within the St Helens area. The Mayor, Paddy Gill, said he was "horrified" by what he saw with betting shops located next to betting shops and alongside many pubs. "This is a disgrace", added the Mayor. "I am prepared to state that we have got more betting shops per head of population than any other borough in the country."
In August Jim Barkley had taken over as head of the ambulance service in St Helens and this week told the Reporter that he was shocked at what he had uncovered. Mr Barkley from Bishopdale Drive in Rainhill had discovered that his staff had not been thoroughly trained; there was a shortage of life-saving equipment and the ambulance depot (pictured above) was badly stocked with some of its bandages dating back to 1939.
He said the old St Helens Corporation had neglected the ambulance service but since April when it had merged with Merseyside, its life-saving capacity had "drastically improved". Mr Barkley declared: "I was surprised when I came here – I was stunned. But the patient now stands a far better chance of survival."
The Reporter also described how St Helens Council had bought an estate of 121 semi-detached houses that had originally been planned for sale to private homebuyers. They would be used to provide homes for families on the council's lengthy housing list and within a few weeks the three bedroomed houses on Old Whint Road in Haydock would be allocated its first tenants.
The present financial situation meant that many couples could not raise the required deposit for a mortgage to buy their own home and consequently private builders were experiencing difficulties in selling houses. A large unsold stock had built up throughout the country and so the Department of the Environment had sent a directive out to local authorities stating that where there were such houses and a housing need, councils could negotiate to buy them. And so St Helens District Council had done so and paid £930,000 for the estate – that's around £15m in today's money.
Radio City was scheduled to launch next week with their main transmitter on medium wave located in Dairy Farm Road in Rainford. This week this large advert appeared in the Reporter: "You've never heard anything like Radio City – Merseyside's new commercial radio station. The Ken Dodd Show, Sports Spectacular, all kinds of music from the Beatles to the Bluecoat, stars of Everton and Liverpool.
"Phone-ins, local personalities, a special Night Owl programme for shift workers (and insomniacs), news on the hour every hour of the 24 – all this and lots, lots more takes to the Mersey air at 6 in the morning, October 21st. Be there. First on the dial on 194 metres Medium Wave."
Details of the Theatre Royal's Christmas panto were revealed this week with a Yuletide performance of Dick Whittington planned. For the fifth year running Tommy Trafford – known as "Uncle Tommy" – would be heading the cast by popular demand. The Blackpool-based comic told the Reporter:
"When I was asked to appear in this year's panto I was very pleased to be able to accept, especially as so many of last year's audience asked for me. It appears that almost all of the audience, mostly the children, wanted me back. I'm very flattered."
Tommy would star opposite local actor Keith Hopkins who would play the title role. The theatre's manager, Jim Lovelace, said: "This is probably a record for an artiste to be re-booked on five successive occasions. Last year's panto, Goldilocks, was very successful. We had a 97 per cent capacity audience, that's to say about 13,000 people."
Also on the 18th the Liverpool Echo described how Barbara Frodsham of Pasture Lane in Rainford was "satisfactory" in Ormskirk General Hospital after being injured earlier in the day in a breakfast-time fire. The blaze had destroyed the ground floor of her home and Mrs Frodsham was being treated for a severed artery and shock.
And finally, on the 19th in spite of poor weather, a near-capacity audience assembled at the Town Hall for St Helens Choral Society's winter concert. This year the ensemble performed Mendelssohn’s 'Elijah'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the massive cost of vandalism on building sites, the Chain Lane Ratepayers win their battle with their developers, a new mayoral limousine is ordered for St Helens and Pilks announce redundancies at Cowley Hill.
We begin with news of Pilkingtons proposed £20 million float glass plant that they intended to build on 100 acres of farmland in Gorsey Lane. Since the announcement was made in July there had been enormous pushback against the scheme. A Clock Face and Sutton Leach Amenity Action Group had been formed to fight it and when at the start of September it was revealed that Pilks had backup sites in mind in Rainford, Rainhill, Newton and Collins Green, concerns had quickly multiplied.
On the other side of the coin over 2,000 Pilkington workers had signed a petition calling for the new plant to built within 5 miles of St Helens. They were worried about possible job losses or long distances to commute if the new plant was built outside of the borough. As a result of all the pressure Pilkingtons released a statement at the start of this week stating that they had decided to defer their plans. In addition a further £130m in investment was also going on the backburner.
On the 15th at a meeting of the St Helens Planning Committee, a detailed report on the proposed new bus station on the site of Greenall's brewery was released. Its cost was estimated at a whopping £5 million – around £80m in today's money – and it was decided to hold a special meeting to discuss the full implications of the scheme.
The report suggested that the station would be able to accommodate at least 30 bus stands, with easy access to shops and offices. Six other possible locations – including in Water Street and Birchley Street – had been identified but the brewery site was seen as the best.
On the 16th the headmaster of Campion School for Boys in St Helens was convicted of indecently assaulting one of his pupils. Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick, the Roman Catholic Dean of St Helens, said the conviction was "the greatest tragedy of this kind I have ever known".
The 44-year-old headmaster from Prescot Road had pleaded guilty in front of St Helens Magistrates to two charges of indecently assaulting a 13-year-old pupil in his office. After the second offence had been committed, the boy had run out of the school and told his mother what had happened and she immediately contacted the police.
Canon Fitzpatrick was the chairman of the governors of Campion School and had sent a letter to the magistrates saying the accused was a dedicated man and was very well respected by the governors, teachers and parents. The head was fined £25 on each charge. After the hearing Canon Fitzpatrick told the Reporter:
"All I can say is that he had a tremendous background of problems, it is a great pity that this was the outcome." There was no mention in the report of any concern having been expressed for the welfare of the child or whether the headmaster was still in his job.
A Mannequin Parade was held in Rainford Village Hall on the 16th in aid of "Rainford old folks". Tickets were priced at 35p.
There was more despair at a council Planning Committee meeting this week over the failure of their clampdown on betting shops. That was after the Department of the Environment had upheld an appeal against the siting of a betting shop near the Eccleston Arms on Prescot Road. Cllr Eric Kerr said: "I have never known us to win one of these appeals. It is the same old ritual."
In July it was stated that there were more than 70 betting shops operating within the St Helens area. The Mayor, Paddy Gill, said he was "horrified" by what he saw with betting shops located next to betting shops and alongside many pubs. "This is a disgrace", added the Mayor. "I am prepared to state that we have got more betting shops per head of population than any other borough in the country."
He said the old St Helens Corporation had neglected the ambulance service but since April when it had merged with Merseyside, its life-saving capacity had "drastically improved". Mr Barkley declared: "I was surprised when I came here – I was stunned. But the patient now stands a far better chance of survival."
The Reporter also described how St Helens Council had bought an estate of 121 semi-detached houses that had originally been planned for sale to private homebuyers. They would be used to provide homes for families on the council's lengthy housing list and within a few weeks the three bedroomed houses on Old Whint Road in Haydock would be allocated its first tenants.
The present financial situation meant that many couples could not raise the required deposit for a mortgage to buy their own home and consequently private builders were experiencing difficulties in selling houses. A large unsold stock had built up throughout the country and so the Department of the Environment had sent a directive out to local authorities stating that where there were such houses and a housing need, councils could negotiate to buy them. And so St Helens District Council had done so and paid £930,000 for the estate – that's around £15m in today's money.
Radio City was scheduled to launch next week with their main transmitter on medium wave located in Dairy Farm Road in Rainford. This week this large advert appeared in the Reporter: "You've never heard anything like Radio City – Merseyside's new commercial radio station. The Ken Dodd Show, Sports Spectacular, all kinds of music from the Beatles to the Bluecoat, stars of Everton and Liverpool.
"Phone-ins, local personalities, a special Night Owl programme for shift workers (and insomniacs), news on the hour every hour of the 24 – all this and lots, lots more takes to the Mersey air at 6 in the morning, October 21st. Be there. First on the dial on 194 metres Medium Wave."
Details of the Theatre Royal's Christmas panto were revealed this week with a Yuletide performance of Dick Whittington planned. For the fifth year running Tommy Trafford – known as "Uncle Tommy" – would be heading the cast by popular demand. The Blackpool-based comic told the Reporter:
"When I was asked to appear in this year's panto I was very pleased to be able to accept, especially as so many of last year's audience asked for me. It appears that almost all of the audience, mostly the children, wanted me back. I'm very flattered."
Tommy would star opposite local actor Keith Hopkins who would play the title role. The theatre's manager, Jim Lovelace, said: "This is probably a record for an artiste to be re-booked on five successive occasions. Last year's panto, Goldilocks, was very successful. We had a 97 per cent capacity audience, that's to say about 13,000 people."
Also on the 18th the Liverpool Echo described how Barbara Frodsham of Pasture Lane in Rainford was "satisfactory" in Ormskirk General Hospital after being injured earlier in the day in a breakfast-time fire. The blaze had destroyed the ground floor of her home and Mrs Frodsham was being treated for a severed artery and shock.
And finally, on the 19th in spite of poor weather, a near-capacity audience assembled at the Town Hall for St Helens Choral Society's winter concert. This year the ensemble performed Mendelssohn’s 'Elijah'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the massive cost of vandalism on building sites, the Chain Lane Ratepayers win their battle with their developers, a new mayoral limousine is ordered for St Helens and Pilks announce redundancies at Cowley Hill.
This week's many stories include Pilkington's deferral of their controversial float glass scheme, the school headmaster convicted of indecency, the criticism of St Helens Ambulance Service by its own boss, an update on the proposed new bus station for St Helens, Radio City prepares to launch, Rockware announce a big investment programme and there's details of the Theatre Royal's Christmas panto.
We begin with news of Pilkingtons proposed £20 million float glass plant that they intended to build on 100 acres of farmland in Gorsey Lane.
Since the announcement was made in July there had been enormous pushback against the scheme.
A Clock Face and Sutton Leach Amenity Action Group had been formed to fight it and when at the start of September it was revealed that Pilks had backup sites in mind in Rainford, Rainhill, Newton and Collins Green, concerns had quickly multiplied.
On the other side of the coin over 2,000 Pilkington workers had signed a petition calling for the new plant to built within 5 miles of St Helens.
They were worried about possible job losses or long distances to commute if the new plant was built outside of the borough.
As a result of all the pressure Pilkingtons released a statement at the start of this week stating that they had decided to defer their plans. In addition a further £130m in investment was also going on the backburner.
On the 15th at a meeting of the St Helens Planning Committee, a detailed report on the proposed new bus station on the site of Greenall's brewery was released.
Its cost was estimated at a whopping £5 million – around £80m in today's money – and it was decided to hold a special meeting to discuss the full implications of the scheme.
The report suggested that the station would be able to accommodate at least 30 bus stands, with easy access to shops and offices.
Six other possible locations – including in Water Street and Birchley Street – had been identified but the brewery site was seen as the best.
On the 16th the headmaster of Campion School for Boys in St Helens was convicted of indecently assaulting one of his pupils.
Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick, the Roman Catholic Dean of St Helens, said the conviction was "the greatest tragedy of this kind I have ever known".
The 44-year-old headmaster from Prescot Road had pleaded guilty in front of St Helens Magistrates to two charges of indecently assaulting a 13-year-old pupil in his office.
After the second offence had been committed, the boy had run out of the school and told his mother what had happened and she immediately contacted the police.
Canon Fitzpatrick was the chairman of the governors of Campion School and had sent a letter to the magistrates saying the accused was a dedicated man and was very well respected by the governors, teachers and parents.
The head was fined £25 on each charge. After the hearing Canon Fitzpatrick told the Reporter:
"All I can say is that he had a tremendous background of problems, it is a great pity that this was the outcome."
There was no mention in the report of any concern having been expressed for the welfare of the child or whether the headmaster was still in his job.
Also on the 16th – a couple of days after Pilkington's had announced the deferral of their float glass scheme and other investment – Rockware (pictured above) announced that £9 million of their own investment programme would be coming to St Helens.
The glass firm had 1,600 workers in Pocket Nook and over the next four years a new amber-glass furnace would be installed, as well as an automatic handling system to deal with finished products.
A new amenity block for employees – which would include a canteen – would also be built.
A Mannequin Parade was held in Rainford Village Hall on the 16th in aid of "Rainford old folks". Tickets were priced at 35p.
There was more despair at a council Planning Committee meeting this week over the failure of their clampdown on betting shops.
That was after the Department of the Environment had upheld an appeal against the siting of a betting shop near the Eccleston Arms on Prescot Road. Cllr Eric Kerr said:
"I have never known us to win one of these appeals. It is the same old ritual."
In July it was stated that there were more than 70 betting shops operating within the St Helens area.
The Mayor, Paddy Gill, said he was "horrified" by what he saw with betting shops located next to betting shops and alongside many pubs.
"This is a disgrace", added the Mayor. "I am prepared to state that we have got more betting shops per head of population than any other borough in the country."
In August Jim Barkley had taken over as head of the ambulance service in St Helens and this week told the Reporter that he was shocked at what he had uncovered.
Mr Barkley from Bishopdale Drive in Rainhill had discovered that his staff had not been thoroughly trained; there was a shortage of life-saving equipment and the ambulance depot (pictured above) was badly stocked with some of its bandages dating back to 1939.
He said the old St Helens Corporation had neglected the ambulance service but since April when it had merged with Merseyside, its life-saving capacity had "drastically improved".
Mr Barkley declared: "I was surprised when I came here – I was stunned. But the patient now stands a far better chance of survival."
The Reporter also described how St Helens Council had bought an estate of 121 semi-detached houses that had originally been planned for sale to private homebuyers.
They would be used to provide homes for families on the council's lengthy housing list and within a few weeks the three bedroomed houses on Old Whint Road in Haydock would be allocated its first tenants.
The present financial situation meant that many couples could not raise the required deposit for a mortgage to buy their own home and consequently private builders were experiencing difficulties in selling houses.
A large unsold stock had built up throughout the country and so the Department of the Environment had sent a directive out to local authorities stating that where there were such houses and a housing need, councils could negotiate to buy them.
And so St Helens District Council had done so and paid £930,000 for the estate – that's around £15m in today's money.
Radio City was scheduled to launch next week with their main transmitter on medium wave located in Dairy Farm Road in Rainford. This week this large advert appeared in the Reporter:
"You've never heard anything like Radio City – Merseyside's new commercial radio station. The Ken Dodd Show, Sports Spectacular, all kinds of music from the Beatles to the Bluecoat, stars of Everton and Liverpool.
"Phone-ins, local personalities, a special Night Owl programme for shift workers (and insomniacs), news on the hour every hour of the 24 – all this and lots, lots more takes to the Mersey air at 6 in the morning, October 21st. Be there. First on the dial on 194 metres Medium Wave."
Details of the Theatre Royal's Christmas panto were revealed this week with a Yuletide performance of Dick Whittington planned.
For the fifth year running Tommy Trafford – known as "Uncle Tommy" – would be heading the cast by popular demand. The Blackpool-based comic told the Reporter:
"When I was asked to appear in this year's panto I was very pleased to be able to accept, especially as so many of last year's audience asked for me. It appears that almost all of the audience, mostly the children, wanted me back. I'm very flattered."
Tommy would star opposite local actor Keith Hopkins who would play the title role. The theatre's manager, Jim Lovelace, said:
"This is probably a record for an artiste to be re-booked on five successive occasions. Last year's panto, Goldilocks, was very successful. We had a 97 per cent capacity audience, that's to say about 13,000 people."
Also on the 18th the Liverpool Echo described how Barbara Frodsham of Pasture Lane in Rainford was "satisfactory" in Ormskirk General Hospital after being injured earlier in the day in a breakfast-time fire.
The blaze had destroyed the ground floor of her home and Mrs Frodsham was being treated for a severed artery and shock.
And finally, on the 19th in spite of poor weather, a near-capacity audience assembled at the Town Hall for St Helens Choral Society's winter concert. This year the ensemble performed Mendelssohn’s 'Elijah'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the massive cost of vandalism on building sites, the Chain Lane Ratepayers win their battle with their developers, a new mayoral limousine is ordered for St Helens and Pilks announce redundancies at Cowley Hill.
We begin with news of Pilkingtons proposed £20 million float glass plant that they intended to build on 100 acres of farmland in Gorsey Lane.
Since the announcement was made in July there had been enormous pushback against the scheme.
A Clock Face and Sutton Leach Amenity Action Group had been formed to fight it and when at the start of September it was revealed that Pilks had backup sites in mind in Rainford, Rainhill, Newton and Collins Green, concerns had quickly multiplied.
On the other side of the coin over 2,000 Pilkington workers had signed a petition calling for the new plant to built within 5 miles of St Helens.
They were worried about possible job losses or long distances to commute if the new plant was built outside of the borough.
As a result of all the pressure Pilkingtons released a statement at the start of this week stating that they had decided to defer their plans. In addition a further £130m in investment was also going on the backburner.
On the 15th at a meeting of the St Helens Planning Committee, a detailed report on the proposed new bus station on the site of Greenall's brewery was released.
Its cost was estimated at a whopping £5 million – around £80m in today's money – and it was decided to hold a special meeting to discuss the full implications of the scheme.
The report suggested that the station would be able to accommodate at least 30 bus stands, with easy access to shops and offices.
Six other possible locations – including in Water Street and Birchley Street – had been identified but the brewery site was seen as the best.
On the 16th the headmaster of Campion School for Boys in St Helens was convicted of indecently assaulting one of his pupils.
Canon Hugh Fitzpatrick, the Roman Catholic Dean of St Helens, said the conviction was "the greatest tragedy of this kind I have ever known".
The 44-year-old headmaster from Prescot Road had pleaded guilty in front of St Helens Magistrates to two charges of indecently assaulting a 13-year-old pupil in his office.
After the second offence had been committed, the boy had run out of the school and told his mother what had happened and she immediately contacted the police.
Canon Fitzpatrick was the chairman of the governors of Campion School and had sent a letter to the magistrates saying the accused was a dedicated man and was very well respected by the governors, teachers and parents.
The head was fined £25 on each charge. After the hearing Canon Fitzpatrick told the Reporter:
"All I can say is that he had a tremendous background of problems, it is a great pity that this was the outcome."
There was no mention in the report of any concern having been expressed for the welfare of the child or whether the headmaster was still in his job.
The glass firm had 1,600 workers in Pocket Nook and over the next four years a new amber-glass furnace would be installed, as well as an automatic handling system to deal with finished products.
A new amenity block for employees – which would include a canteen – would also be built.
A Mannequin Parade was held in Rainford Village Hall on the 16th in aid of "Rainford old folks". Tickets were priced at 35p.
There was more despair at a council Planning Committee meeting this week over the failure of their clampdown on betting shops.
That was after the Department of the Environment had upheld an appeal against the siting of a betting shop near the Eccleston Arms on Prescot Road. Cllr Eric Kerr said:
"I have never known us to win one of these appeals. It is the same old ritual."
In July it was stated that there were more than 70 betting shops operating within the St Helens area.
The Mayor, Paddy Gill, said he was "horrified" by what he saw with betting shops located next to betting shops and alongside many pubs.
"This is a disgrace", added the Mayor. "I am prepared to state that we have got more betting shops per head of population than any other borough in the country."
In August Jim Barkley had taken over as head of the ambulance service in St Helens and this week told the Reporter that he was shocked at what he had uncovered.
He said the old St Helens Corporation had neglected the ambulance service but since April when it had merged with Merseyside, its life-saving capacity had "drastically improved".
Mr Barkley declared: "I was surprised when I came here – I was stunned. But the patient now stands a far better chance of survival."
The Reporter also described how St Helens Council had bought an estate of 121 semi-detached houses that had originally been planned for sale to private homebuyers.
They would be used to provide homes for families on the council's lengthy housing list and within a few weeks the three bedroomed houses on Old Whint Road in Haydock would be allocated its first tenants.
The present financial situation meant that many couples could not raise the required deposit for a mortgage to buy their own home and consequently private builders were experiencing difficulties in selling houses.
A large unsold stock had built up throughout the country and so the Department of the Environment had sent a directive out to local authorities stating that where there were such houses and a housing need, councils could negotiate to buy them.
And so St Helens District Council had done so and paid £930,000 for the estate – that's around £15m in today's money.
Radio City was scheduled to launch next week with their main transmitter on medium wave located in Dairy Farm Road in Rainford. This week this large advert appeared in the Reporter:
"You've never heard anything like Radio City – Merseyside's new commercial radio station. The Ken Dodd Show, Sports Spectacular, all kinds of music from the Beatles to the Bluecoat, stars of Everton and Liverpool.
"Phone-ins, local personalities, a special Night Owl programme for shift workers (and insomniacs), news on the hour every hour of the 24 – all this and lots, lots more takes to the Mersey air at 6 in the morning, October 21st. Be there. First on the dial on 194 metres Medium Wave."
Details of the Theatre Royal's Christmas panto were revealed this week with a Yuletide performance of Dick Whittington planned.
For the fifth year running Tommy Trafford – known as "Uncle Tommy" – would be heading the cast by popular demand. The Blackpool-based comic told the Reporter:
"When I was asked to appear in this year's panto I was very pleased to be able to accept, especially as so many of last year's audience asked for me. It appears that almost all of the audience, mostly the children, wanted me back. I'm very flattered."
Tommy would star opposite local actor Keith Hopkins who would play the title role. The theatre's manager, Jim Lovelace, said:
"This is probably a record for an artiste to be re-booked on five successive occasions. Last year's panto, Goldilocks, was very successful. We had a 97 per cent capacity audience, that's to say about 13,000 people."
Also on the 18th the Liverpool Echo described how Barbara Frodsham of Pasture Lane in Rainford was "satisfactory" in Ormskirk General Hospital after being injured earlier in the day in a breakfast-time fire.
The blaze had destroyed the ground floor of her home and Mrs Frodsham was being treated for a severed artery and shock.
And finally, on the 19th in spite of poor weather, a near-capacity audience assembled at the Town Hall for St Helens Choral Society's winter concert. This year the ensemble performed Mendelssohn’s 'Elijah'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the massive cost of vandalism on building sites, the Chain Lane Ratepayers win their battle with their developers, a new mayoral limousine is ordered for St Helens and Pilks announce redundancies at Cowley Hill.