FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 16 - 22 JUNE 1975
This week's many stories include the council's plans to buy a complete village, the bravery of a Billinge bobby, a councillor calls the St Helens Reporter the most irresponsible newspaper in the country, St Helens Council is forced to reduce its 100% mortgages to homebuyers and the Rainhill Rose Queen and Sutton Parish Gala both take place.
PC Barry Jolly was praised in the St Helens Reporter this week after it was revealed that the 26-year-old Billinge bobby was being awarded the Queen's Commendation For Bravery. Despite being off duty he had rushed to a house in the village after being informed that an armed man had gone berserk.
PC Jolly explained how the individual had been brandishing a fireman's axe in one hand and a gun in the other: "The house was completely smashed up inside, and the man's mother, who was in there, was obviously terrified. He warned me that if I made any attempt to take him, he would kill me. While I was helping the mother to get out, he came at me with the axe. One blow just missed my head and I could feel it almost parting my hair."
When PC Terence Birchall arrived on the scene to help his colleague, the gun went off and he took the blast in the chest. Fortunately the weapon was only a replica capable of firing small ball bearings and the constable was only slightly injured. Surprisingly, the violent man was only given a suspended prison sentence.
It has to be said that the Reporter was not popular with some members of St Helens Council. After criticism of the paper at a recent Policy and Resources Committee meeting, it hit back this week with a long editorial on its front page. Councillor Ronnie Halsall had started the ball rolling by declaring that the Reporter was the most irresponsible newspaper in the country.
But the paper's editor mockingly pointed out that there were over 1,100 papers in Britain and wondered if he had read them all before reaching his decision, enquiring: "Did you enjoy the Putney and Roehampton Herald, Councillor Halsall? How was the Whittlesey Reporter or the Newmarket Weekly News, or the Oadby and Wigston Advertiser? What standards do they have in the Heckmondwike Herald? Is the Kidderminster Shuttle all that its name suggests?"
Other councillors received less sarcasm and more of a firm rebuke as part of the Reporter's fightback. Councillor Len Williams had said the paper should be more truthful and more honest and Cllr Jack Morris had called their Municipal Matters column written by Ian Brandes a comic strip. That comment led Cllr Williams to agree and add: "I have seldom read anything more scandalous and vicious on personalities."
The Reporter's riposte was to quote Harry S. Truman, saying, "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen" and then stating: "People who stand for public office should be able to withstand the public brickbats that will inevitably come their way. Be sure of this. The St. Helens Reporter will continue to champion the public, to fight for the truth, to strive to open the secret corridors of power in the Town Hall."
St Helens Council used to provide 100% mortgages to some couples, particularly those buying older, terrace-type houses in the town. But this week it was revealed that the government had given instructions that the number of such loans had to be reduced. And so about thirty couples that had been expecting mortgages were now being informed that the council could no longer help them.
Building societies were also unlikely to fill the mortgage gap, with one manager of a society in St Helens telling the Reporter, "We're under severe pressure from our own members – and as far as I can see there's nothing we can do for people who aren't our members."
The Reporter also described that the admission charge at Saints ground in Knowsley Road was set to rise. Last season the minimum price had been 35p but subject to approval at the annual meeting of the Rugby League in Leeds, it would increase to a minimum of 50p.
Some of the advertisers in this week's Reporter included: Litherlands, 89 Shaw Street ("For the finest quality meat"); P. & H. Jolley & Son ("Sale of the century – reductions in prices of leathers, suedes, furs, 2-piece suits, dresses"); C. L. Gordon and Son, YMCA Buildings, College Street ("All types of glass supplied") and Websters Stationers, 21 Duke Street ("25p off Parker, Sheaffer and Papermate pens").
A number of regular discos and other musical events were also advertised in the paper. Every Tuesday in the Geraldo Club in Lord Street, DJ Tony Fyne presented what he called a progressive disco with admission 30p. Also on Tuesdays the Globe Hotel in Hardshaw Street held a charity disco from 8pm to 11pm. And on Thursdays "at the Alex" (the Alexandra Hotel in Crossley Road, Thatto Heath) there was a Folk Night.
On the 21st what was described as the first annual gala of St Helens RUFC was held at Moss Lane, with admission 10p. It was also the day of the annual Sutton Parish Gala, which for the first time was not being held in the Grange field in Sherdley Park but on the playing fields of Sutton National School (or "Sutton Nash" as it was commonly known) in Goodban Street.
The reason for the switch was that the fencing round the Grange ground was in a dilapidated condition giving easy access to those that did not want to pay an admission charge. The attractions included pony rides, children's races, dancing displays and swings.
Versions of 'It's A Knockout' were all the rage, mimicking the success of the TV show. Last week St Julie's annual gala day had included such a contest and on the 21st 'It's A Knockout' was included in the Campion School Gala. Four schools took part with Grange Park being judged the winners and receiving a trophy.
Saturday 21st was certainly a busy day for festivals in the area with warm, sunny weather boosting the number of spectators. Many hundreds also turned out to attend Rainhill's Rose Queen and Gala. The Reporter wrote: "Crowds lined the route to watch the gaily-coloured floats and to see the Rose Queen as she travelled in a replica Edwardian roadster."
The procession began at Oakdene School and ended its journey at the Village Hall where there were many indoor and outdoor entertainments, including roll-a-penny, dart throwing and a special Rainhill "Who's Who" competition stall manned by Cllr Pat Johnson of Rainhill Parish Council. Entrants to the contest were invited to fill in forms asking them to name officials from 20 Rainhill organisations, with the winner set to receive a Kodak Instamatic camera at the St James Church summer sale on July 12th.
The Liverpool Echo on the 21st reported that St Helens Council was considering paying £50,000 to buy a complete village. That was Vulcan, near Earlestown, which since local government reorganisation in April last year had come within the sphere of the St Helens District Council boundaries.
It was one of the last two privately owned villages in Britain, comprising 100 houses, a school and a pub having been built in 1840, eight years after the opening of the Vulcan Locomotive Works. The pub had been sold to a brewery but the St Helens Estates Sub-committee and the Policy and Resources Committee were recommending that the village be purchased from its owner, its residents rehoused and the old houses demolished.
Most of the villagers welcomed the idea because their houses were in such a poor condition. Ronald Maddocks – who had lived in the village for over 30 years and was a former treasurer of the disbanded village welfare committee – told the Echo: "The village community spirit has disappeared. It is now only a stopping off place for young people until they get a house elsewhere."
On Sunday the 22nd as part of the council's "bands in parks" summer programme of music, the Parr Band gave a performance in Sherdley Park. 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' began a week of screenings at the ABC Savoy on the 22nd, replacing 'Alfie Darling', starring Alan Price. And the Capitol replaced a film called 'The Cats' with 'Big Bad Mama', starring Angie Dickinson.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include fears that the Tontine Market could be wiped out by fire, the lengthening dole queue in St Helens, the golfers injuring children on the Rainford Rec and Ravenhead residents complain about proposals to create a tip.
PC Barry Jolly was praised in the St Helens Reporter this week after it was revealed that the 26-year-old Billinge bobby was being awarded the Queen's Commendation For Bravery. Despite being off duty he had rushed to a house in the village after being informed that an armed man had gone berserk.
PC Jolly explained how the individual had been brandishing a fireman's axe in one hand and a gun in the other: "The house was completely smashed up inside, and the man's mother, who was in there, was obviously terrified. He warned me that if I made any attempt to take him, he would kill me. While I was helping the mother to get out, he came at me with the axe. One blow just missed my head and I could feel it almost parting my hair."
When PC Terence Birchall arrived on the scene to help his colleague, the gun went off and he took the blast in the chest. Fortunately the weapon was only a replica capable of firing small ball bearings and the constable was only slightly injured. Surprisingly, the violent man was only given a suspended prison sentence.
It has to be said that the Reporter was not popular with some members of St Helens Council. After criticism of the paper at a recent Policy and Resources Committee meeting, it hit back this week with a long editorial on its front page. Councillor Ronnie Halsall had started the ball rolling by declaring that the Reporter was the most irresponsible newspaper in the country.
But the paper's editor mockingly pointed out that there were over 1,100 papers in Britain and wondered if he had read them all before reaching his decision, enquiring: "Did you enjoy the Putney and Roehampton Herald, Councillor Halsall? How was the Whittlesey Reporter or the Newmarket Weekly News, or the Oadby and Wigston Advertiser? What standards do they have in the Heckmondwike Herald? Is the Kidderminster Shuttle all that its name suggests?"
Other councillors received less sarcasm and more of a firm rebuke as part of the Reporter's fightback. Councillor Len Williams had said the paper should be more truthful and more honest and Cllr Jack Morris had called their Municipal Matters column written by Ian Brandes a comic strip. That comment led Cllr Williams to agree and add: "I have seldom read anything more scandalous and vicious on personalities."
The Reporter's riposte was to quote Harry S. Truman, saying, "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen" and then stating: "People who stand for public office should be able to withstand the public brickbats that will inevitably come their way. Be sure of this. The St. Helens Reporter will continue to champion the public, to fight for the truth, to strive to open the secret corridors of power in the Town Hall."
St Helens Council used to provide 100% mortgages to some couples, particularly those buying older, terrace-type houses in the town. But this week it was revealed that the government had given instructions that the number of such loans had to be reduced. And so about thirty couples that had been expecting mortgages were now being informed that the council could no longer help them.
Building societies were also unlikely to fill the mortgage gap, with one manager of a society in St Helens telling the Reporter, "We're under severe pressure from our own members – and as far as I can see there's nothing we can do for people who aren't our members."
The Reporter also described that the admission charge at Saints ground in Knowsley Road was set to rise. Last season the minimum price had been 35p but subject to approval at the annual meeting of the Rugby League in Leeds, it would increase to a minimum of 50p.
Some of the advertisers in this week's Reporter included: Litherlands, 89 Shaw Street ("For the finest quality meat"); P. & H. Jolley & Son ("Sale of the century – reductions in prices of leathers, suedes, furs, 2-piece suits, dresses"); C. L. Gordon and Son, YMCA Buildings, College Street ("All types of glass supplied") and Websters Stationers, 21 Duke Street ("25p off Parker, Sheaffer and Papermate pens").
A number of regular discos and other musical events were also advertised in the paper. Every Tuesday in the Geraldo Club in Lord Street, DJ Tony Fyne presented what he called a progressive disco with admission 30p. Also on Tuesdays the Globe Hotel in Hardshaw Street held a charity disco from 8pm to 11pm. And on Thursdays "at the Alex" (the Alexandra Hotel in Crossley Road, Thatto Heath) there was a Folk Night.
The reason for the switch was that the fencing round the Grange ground was in a dilapidated condition giving easy access to those that did not want to pay an admission charge. The attractions included pony rides, children's races, dancing displays and swings.
Versions of 'It's A Knockout' were all the rage, mimicking the success of the TV show. Last week St Julie's annual gala day had included such a contest and on the 21st 'It's A Knockout' was included in the Campion School Gala. Four schools took part with Grange Park being judged the winners and receiving a trophy.
Saturday 21st was certainly a busy day for festivals in the area with warm, sunny weather boosting the number of spectators. Many hundreds also turned out to attend Rainhill's Rose Queen and Gala. The Reporter wrote: "Crowds lined the route to watch the gaily-coloured floats and to see the Rose Queen as she travelled in a replica Edwardian roadster."
The procession began at Oakdene School and ended its journey at the Village Hall where there were many indoor and outdoor entertainments, including roll-a-penny, dart throwing and a special Rainhill "Who's Who" competition stall manned by Cllr Pat Johnson of Rainhill Parish Council. Entrants to the contest were invited to fill in forms asking them to name officials from 20 Rainhill organisations, with the winner set to receive a Kodak Instamatic camera at the St James Church summer sale on July 12th.
The Liverpool Echo on the 21st reported that St Helens Council was considering paying £50,000 to buy a complete village. That was Vulcan, near Earlestown, which since local government reorganisation in April last year had come within the sphere of the St Helens District Council boundaries.
It was one of the last two privately owned villages in Britain, comprising 100 houses, a school and a pub having been built in 1840, eight years after the opening of the Vulcan Locomotive Works. The pub had been sold to a brewery but the St Helens Estates Sub-committee and the Policy and Resources Committee were recommending that the village be purchased from its owner, its residents rehoused and the old houses demolished.
Most of the villagers welcomed the idea because their houses were in such a poor condition. Ronald Maddocks – who had lived in the village for over 30 years and was a former treasurer of the disbanded village welfare committee – told the Echo: "The village community spirit has disappeared. It is now only a stopping off place for young people until they get a house elsewhere."
On Sunday the 22nd as part of the council's "bands in parks" summer programme of music, the Parr Band gave a performance in Sherdley Park. 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' began a week of screenings at the ABC Savoy on the 22nd, replacing 'Alfie Darling', starring Alan Price. And the Capitol replaced a film called 'The Cats' with 'Big Bad Mama', starring Angie Dickinson.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include fears that the Tontine Market could be wiped out by fire, the lengthening dole queue in St Helens, the golfers injuring children on the Rainford Rec and Ravenhead residents complain about proposals to create a tip.
This week's many stories include the council's plans to buy a complete village, the bravery of a Billinge bobby, a councillor calls the St Helens Reporter the most irresponsible newspaper in the country, St Helens Council is forced to reduce its 100% mortgages to homebuyers and the Rainhill Rose Queen and Sutton Parish Gala both take place.
PC Barry Jolly was praised in the St Helens Reporter this week after it was revealed that the 26-year-old Billinge bobby was being awarded the Queen's Commendation For Bravery.
Despite being off duty he had rushed to a house in the village after being informed that an armed man had gone berserk.
PC Jolly explained how the individual had been brandishing a fireman's axe in one hand and a gun in the other:
"The house was completely smashed up inside, and the man's mother, who was in there, was obviously terrified.
"He warned me that if I made any attempt to take him, he would kill me. While I was helping the mother to get out, he came at me with the axe. One blow just missed my head and I could feel it almost parting my hair."
When PC Terence Birchall arrived on the scene to help his colleague, the gun went off and he took the blast in the chest.
Fortunately the weapon was only a replica capable of firing small ball bearings and the constable was only slightly injured.
Surprisingly, the violent man was only given a suspended prison sentence.
It has to be said that the Reporter was not popular with some members of St Helens Council.
After criticism of the paper at a recent Policy and Resources Committee meeting, it hit back this week with a long editorial on its front page.
Councillor Ronnie Halsall had started the ball rolling by declaring that the Reporter was the most irresponsible newspaper in the country.
But the paper's editor mockingly pointed out that there were over 1,100 papers in Britain and wondered if he had read them all before reaching his decision, enquiring:
"Did you enjoy the Putney and Roehampton Herald, Councillor Halsall? How was the Whittlesey Reporter or the Newmarket Weekly News, or the Oadby and Wigston Advertiser?
"What standards do they have in the Heckmondwike Herald? Is the Kidderminster Shuttle all that its name suggests?"
Other councillors received less sarcasm and more of a firm rebuke as part of the Reporter's fightback.
Councillor Len Williams had said the paper should be more truthful and more honest and Cllr Jack Morris had called their Municipal Matters column written by Ian Brandes a comic strip.
That comment led Cllr Williams to agree and add: "I have seldom read anything more scandalous and vicious on personalities."
The Reporter's riposte was to quote Harry S. Truman, saying, "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen" and then stating:
"People who stand for public office should be able to withstand the public brickbats that will inevitably come their way.
"Be sure of this. The St. Helens Reporter will continue to champion the public, to fight for the truth, to strive to open the secret corridors of power in the Town Hall."
St Helens Council used to provide 100% mortgages to some couples, particularly those buying older, terrace-type houses in the town.
But this week it was revealed that the government had given instructions that the number of such loans had to be reduced.
And so about thirty couples that had been expecting mortgages were now being informed that the council could no longer help them.
Building societies were also unlikely to fill the mortgage gap, with one manager of a society in St Helens telling the Reporter, "We're under severe pressure from our own members – and as far as I can see there's nothing we can do for people who aren't our members."
The Reporter also described that the admission charge at Saints ground in Knowsley Road was set to rise.
Last season the minimum price had been 35p but subject to approval at the annual meeting of the Rugby League in Leeds, it would increase to a minimum of 50p.
Some of the advertisers in this week's Reporter included: Litherlands, 89 Shaw Street ("For the finest quality meat"); P. & H. Jolley & Son ("Sale of the century – reductions in prices of leathers, suedes, furs, 2-piece suits, dresses"); C. L. Gordon and Son, YMCA Buildings, College Street ("All types of glass supplied") and Websters Stationers, 21 Duke Street ("25p off Parker, Sheaffer and Papermate pens").
A number of regular discos and other musical events were also advertised in the paper.
Every Tuesday in the Geraldo Club in Lord Street, DJ Tony Fyne presented what he called a progressive disco with admission 30p.
Also on Tuesdays the Globe Hotel in Hardshaw Street held a charity disco from 8pm to 11pm.
And on Thursdays "at the Alex" (the Alexandra Hotel in Crossley Road, Thatto Heath) there was a Folk Night.
On the 21st what was described as the first annual gala of St Helens RUFC was held at Moss Lane, with admission 10p.
It was also the day of the annual Sutton Parish Gala, which for the first time was not being held in the Grange field in Sherdley Park but on the playing fields of Sutton National School (or "Sutton Nash" as it was commonly known) in Goodban Street.
The reason for the switch was that the fencing round the Grange ground was in a dilapidated condition giving easy access to those that did not want to pay an admission charge.
The attractions included pony rides, children's races, dancing displays and swings.
Versions of 'It's A Knockout' were all the rage, mimicking the success of the TV show. Last week St Julie's annual gala day had included such a contest and on the 21st 'It's A Knockout' was included in the Campion School Gala.
Four schools took part with Grange Park being judged the winners and receiving a trophy.
Saturday 21st was certainly a busy day for festivals in the area with warm, sunny weather boosting the number of spectators. Many hundreds also turned out to attend Rainhill's Rose Queen and Gala.
The Reporter wrote: "Crowds lined the route to watch the gaily-coloured floats and to see the Rose Queen as she travelled in a replica Edwardian roadster."
The procession began at Oakdene School and ended its journey at the Village Hall where there were many indoor and outdoor entertainments, including roll-a-penny, dart throwing and a special Rainhill "Who's Who" competition stall manned by Cllr Pat Johnson of Rainhill Parish Council.
Entrants to the contest were invited to fill in forms asking them to name officials from 20 Rainhill organisations, with the winner set to receive a Kodak Instamatic camera at the St James Church summer sale on July 12th.
The Liverpool Echo on the 21st reported that St Helens Council was considering paying £50,000 to buy a complete village.
That was Vulcan, near Earlestown, which since local government reorganisation in April last year had come within the sphere of the St Helens District Council boundaries.
It was one of the last two privately owned villages in Britain, comprising 100 houses, a school and a pub having been built in 1840, eight years after the opening of the Vulcan Locomotive Works.
The pub had been sold to a brewery but the St Helens Estates Sub-committee and the Policy and Resources Committee were recommending that the village be purchased from its owner, its residents rehoused and the old houses demolished.
Most of the villagers welcomed the idea because their houses were in such a poor condition.
Ronald Maddocks – who had lived in the village for over 30 years and was a former treasurer of the disbanded village welfare committee – told the Echo:
"The village community spirit has disappeared. It is now only a stopping off place for young people until they get a house elsewhere."
On Sunday the 22nd as part of the council's "bands in parks" summer programme of music, the Parr Band gave a performance in Sherdley Park.
'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' began a week of screenings at the ABC Savoy on the 22nd, replacing 'Alfie Darling', starring Alan Price.
And the Capitol replaced a film called 'The Cats' with 'Big Bad Mama', starring Angie Dickinson.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include fears that the Tontine Market could be wiped out by fire, the lengthening dole queue in St Helens, the golfers injuring children on the Rainford Rec and Ravenhead residents complain about proposals to create a tip.
PC Barry Jolly was praised in the St Helens Reporter this week after it was revealed that the 26-year-old Billinge bobby was being awarded the Queen's Commendation For Bravery.
Despite being off duty he had rushed to a house in the village after being informed that an armed man had gone berserk.
PC Jolly explained how the individual had been brandishing a fireman's axe in one hand and a gun in the other:
"The house was completely smashed up inside, and the man's mother, who was in there, was obviously terrified.
"He warned me that if I made any attempt to take him, he would kill me. While I was helping the mother to get out, he came at me with the axe. One blow just missed my head and I could feel it almost parting my hair."
When PC Terence Birchall arrived on the scene to help his colleague, the gun went off and he took the blast in the chest.
Fortunately the weapon was only a replica capable of firing small ball bearings and the constable was only slightly injured.
Surprisingly, the violent man was only given a suspended prison sentence.
It has to be said that the Reporter was not popular with some members of St Helens Council.
After criticism of the paper at a recent Policy and Resources Committee meeting, it hit back this week with a long editorial on its front page.
Councillor Ronnie Halsall had started the ball rolling by declaring that the Reporter was the most irresponsible newspaper in the country.
But the paper's editor mockingly pointed out that there were over 1,100 papers in Britain and wondered if he had read them all before reaching his decision, enquiring:
"Did you enjoy the Putney and Roehampton Herald, Councillor Halsall? How was the Whittlesey Reporter or the Newmarket Weekly News, or the Oadby and Wigston Advertiser?
"What standards do they have in the Heckmondwike Herald? Is the Kidderminster Shuttle all that its name suggests?"
Other councillors received less sarcasm and more of a firm rebuke as part of the Reporter's fightback.
Councillor Len Williams had said the paper should be more truthful and more honest and Cllr Jack Morris had called their Municipal Matters column written by Ian Brandes a comic strip.
That comment led Cllr Williams to agree and add: "I have seldom read anything more scandalous and vicious on personalities."
The Reporter's riposte was to quote Harry S. Truman, saying, "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen" and then stating:
"People who stand for public office should be able to withstand the public brickbats that will inevitably come their way.
"Be sure of this. The St. Helens Reporter will continue to champion the public, to fight for the truth, to strive to open the secret corridors of power in the Town Hall."
St Helens Council used to provide 100% mortgages to some couples, particularly those buying older, terrace-type houses in the town.
But this week it was revealed that the government had given instructions that the number of such loans had to be reduced.
And so about thirty couples that had been expecting mortgages were now being informed that the council could no longer help them.
Building societies were also unlikely to fill the mortgage gap, with one manager of a society in St Helens telling the Reporter, "We're under severe pressure from our own members – and as far as I can see there's nothing we can do for people who aren't our members."
The Reporter also described that the admission charge at Saints ground in Knowsley Road was set to rise.
Last season the minimum price had been 35p but subject to approval at the annual meeting of the Rugby League in Leeds, it would increase to a minimum of 50p.
Some of the advertisers in this week's Reporter included: Litherlands, 89 Shaw Street ("For the finest quality meat"); P. & H. Jolley & Son ("Sale of the century – reductions in prices of leathers, suedes, furs, 2-piece suits, dresses"); C. L. Gordon and Son, YMCA Buildings, College Street ("All types of glass supplied") and Websters Stationers, 21 Duke Street ("25p off Parker, Sheaffer and Papermate pens").
A number of regular discos and other musical events were also advertised in the paper.
Every Tuesday in the Geraldo Club in Lord Street, DJ Tony Fyne presented what he called a progressive disco with admission 30p.
Also on Tuesdays the Globe Hotel in Hardshaw Street held a charity disco from 8pm to 11pm.
And on Thursdays "at the Alex" (the Alexandra Hotel in Crossley Road, Thatto Heath) there was a Folk Night.
On the 21st what was described as the first annual gala of St Helens RUFC was held at Moss Lane, with admission 10p.
The reason for the switch was that the fencing round the Grange ground was in a dilapidated condition giving easy access to those that did not want to pay an admission charge.
The attractions included pony rides, children's races, dancing displays and swings.
Versions of 'It's A Knockout' were all the rage, mimicking the success of the TV show. Last week St Julie's annual gala day had included such a contest and on the 21st 'It's A Knockout' was included in the Campion School Gala.
Four schools took part with Grange Park being judged the winners and receiving a trophy.
Saturday 21st was certainly a busy day for festivals in the area with warm, sunny weather boosting the number of spectators. Many hundreds also turned out to attend Rainhill's Rose Queen and Gala.
The Reporter wrote: "Crowds lined the route to watch the gaily-coloured floats and to see the Rose Queen as she travelled in a replica Edwardian roadster."
The procession began at Oakdene School and ended its journey at the Village Hall where there were many indoor and outdoor entertainments, including roll-a-penny, dart throwing and a special Rainhill "Who's Who" competition stall manned by Cllr Pat Johnson of Rainhill Parish Council.
Entrants to the contest were invited to fill in forms asking them to name officials from 20 Rainhill organisations, with the winner set to receive a Kodak Instamatic camera at the St James Church summer sale on July 12th.
The Liverpool Echo on the 21st reported that St Helens Council was considering paying £50,000 to buy a complete village.
That was Vulcan, near Earlestown, which since local government reorganisation in April last year had come within the sphere of the St Helens District Council boundaries.
It was one of the last two privately owned villages in Britain, comprising 100 houses, a school and a pub having been built in 1840, eight years after the opening of the Vulcan Locomotive Works.
The pub had been sold to a brewery but the St Helens Estates Sub-committee and the Policy and Resources Committee were recommending that the village be purchased from its owner, its residents rehoused and the old houses demolished.
Most of the villagers welcomed the idea because their houses were in such a poor condition.
Ronald Maddocks – who had lived in the village for over 30 years and was a former treasurer of the disbanded village welfare committee – told the Echo:
"The village community spirit has disappeared. It is now only a stopping off place for young people until they get a house elsewhere."
On Sunday the 22nd as part of the council's "bands in parks" summer programme of music, the Parr Band gave a performance in Sherdley Park.
'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' began a week of screenings at the ABC Savoy on the 22nd, replacing 'Alfie Darling', starring Alan Price.
And the Capitol replaced a film called 'The Cats' with 'Big Bad Mama', starring Angie Dickinson.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include fears that the Tontine Market could be wiped out by fire, the lengthening dole queue in St Helens, the golfers injuring children on the Rainford Rec and Ravenhead residents complain about proposals to create a tip.