FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (17th - 23rd AUGUST 1970)
This week's stories include an update on the sacked Pilkington strikers, a claim of a petty boycott by the head of West Park Grammar, the melting helmets of St Helens firemen and vandals smash a recently restored stained glass window in Sutton.
We begin on the 17th when six people were taken to hospital following another collision on the East Lancs road at Windle Island traffic lights. This had been the latest in a series of accidents and Rainford Council was proposing a safety plan. The councillors had written to the Ministry of Transport and Lancashire County Council calling for an intermediate set of traffic lights 400 yards away from the existing lights. They'd also suggested a rippled concrete road surface on either side of the lights, which would cause drivers to slow down. However Lancashire County Council said they were waiting for Ministry of Transport approval to start their own improvement scheme at Windle.
On the 20th it was announced that the former Mayor of St Helens, Tom Wilcock, had been expelled from the Labour Party. This was after the Moss Bank councillor and current deputy mayor had stated his intention to stand as an independent candidate at the next General Election.
On the 21st the Reporter updated readers on the latest position as regards the sacked Pilkington strikers. A fortnight earlier several hundred workers at the Cowley Hill float glass plant had taken part in a 3-day strike demanding recognition of the new, rebel Glassworkers Union. Pilkingtons subsequently dismissed all the strikers and also sacked those who withdrew their labour in protest.
In total 480 men were given their cards, although they were allowed to re-apply for their old jobs on condition they joined the GMWU union – which had long been recognised by Pilks. They were also treated as new employees and so lost all existing pension rights and holiday entitlements. Out of the 480 men dismissed, 270 had so far been re-employed.
Another 130 wanted to return to their old jobs but had been told the firm was not yet in a position to take them back. That was because Pilkingtons claimed to have lost so much business during the earlier 7-week strike that at the moment they had sufficient labour. The 130 outstanding applicants had been informed that they would be told if and when suitable vacancies became available. Out of the 480 dismissed employees, all but 80 of them had re-applied for their old jobs.
Those men that had applied for work at other firms claimed they were being blacklisted. Brian Kelly of Haydock told the Reporter: "Once they find out that you are from Pilkington they just don't want to know." Councillor John Potter, Treasurer of the Glassworkers Union, claimed that the blacklisting was commonplace: "Men are being refused jobs all over south-west Lancashire. It is disgusting that a man's right to work is being interfered with in such a manner." Dockers at Liverpool and Birkenhead had also "blacked" Pilkington glass for a week in sympathy with the sacked men but their boycott had now been lifted.
In a front-page article entitled "Oh, Brother…" (referencing the TV comedy with Derek NImmo), the Reporter wrote about another attempted boycott, this time by West Park Grammar School (pictured above). The headmaster, Brother Leonard, had apparently taken offence at something printed in the paper in the past. And, according to the Reporter, he "chose to retaliate by refusing to give us the names of his successful G.C.E. students for publication."
These were the names of 77 students at West Park that had passed the A-level exam. This did not impress the Reporter: "His decision would have robbed these hard-working teenagers and their families of the satisfaction and the glow of pride that comes with seeing their achievements recorded in their own local weekly newspaper." The paper wrote "would have" as they had obtained all the names and results from another source.
The Reporter also described how St Helens firemen had rejected their smart new helmets "designed by Home Office boffins" and reverted to their old-style hats. The men had been wearing the new helmets for over two years but found that after fighting a fire, the plastic-coated headgear would start to melt. They also didn't fit properly and wobbled about on their heads and the back cover of the old helmet had been replaced by a detachable piece of cloth. This, it was said, gave them the look of the French Foreign Legion!
Chief fireman Thomas Brannelly from Vincent Street said: "Whenever you went out on a fire you couldn't keep them on – they were always coming off. You would come away from the fire and notice all the top of the helmet had melted. I don't think any of the lads liked them because the back of the neck wasn't covered by anything solid."
The newspaper also reported that vandals had smashed a window at St Nicholas Church in Sutton (pictured above) – only a fortnight after experts had restored it. The stained glass window was valued at £600 – about £10,000 in today's money – and as part of a church renovation scheme to address subsidence, the glass had been removed in sections, cleaned and replaced.
Church Warden Fred Thomas of New Street told the Reporter: "It looked really beautiful. I can't understand people who do things like this. I believe it could have been a gang of skinheads who were causing trouble in the area [on] the same night. I only wish we could find them. I have been connected with the church for the past 40 years and it is only recently that we have had any trouble."
Earlier in the year the Vicar of Sutton had written in his church magazine that he was considering setting up a body of vigilantes to stop the endemic vandalism. The Rev. Paul Conder complained of windows being smashed at St Nicholas and All Saints churches, with the windows in the vestry and porch of the former being regular targets.
There was an advertorial in the Reporter for a new Blackbrook pub called 'The Starting Gate'. It was Bass Charrington's first in St Helens and was so named to tie in with the brewery's close association with Haydock Park Racecourse. The Reporter described a "spectacular moulded mural" that went from the saloon bar into the L-shaped lounge. The mural "recaptures all the thrills of steeplechasing in the old days – with a flag-waving starter, complete with regulation topper."
There was also a profile of a pioneering pre-school playgroup in Sutton Manor, which was held in St Theresa's Church Hall in Gartons Lane. Organiser Pat Clancey of Bentley Street told the paper: "We decided to start a playgroup in February. It is a much-needed amenity in the area. There has never been anything like this for toddlers before, but the need has become acute now that there are four new housing estates in the district."
Local husbands had painted the hall to brighten it up and created what the Reporter called a "toddlers’ toyland" by converting discarded pieces of wood and old furniture into cots, wheelbarrows, hobby horses, easels and a "kiddiwinks wonder world of fun." Fifty-two children were attending the two-hour sessions on three mornings a week, with 100 more youngsters on a waiting list.
The Reporter also wrote: "A team of detectives are out to beat a gang of vacuum cleaner con-men who have swept into St. Helens." The men would push yellow cards through letterboxes asking householders if they would like to have their Hoover cleaner or washing machine serviced. If the answer was "yes", then they were invited to place the card in their front window and the men would return on the following day. Gladys Light of Field Road in Clock Face was one victim of the gang. The 49-year-old had let them take away her cleaner for service and never saw it again. "They were certainly professionals and I was really taken in," she said.
Det. Constable Hogg told the Reporter: "Another dodge they employ is to call on elderly couples. The con men study their vacuum cleaners and then twist the motor belt. They start it up and when it gets hot they tell the old couple that there is a fire risk unless they have a new motor fitted. They take it away, bring it back, say they have fitted the motor and pocket the money for the job. In most cases we find that the work has not been done."
Crews on the number 23 bus service to Sutton Manor were also in the news. They were threatening strike action after complaining that their buses were too tightly packed, leaving them tired out. Driver Peter Maxlow said: "We are allowed 25 minutes to get from Helena House to Sutton Manor. There are 30 stops on the route and because there are a lot of people using the service, we pick up passengers at nearly every stop. At peak hours we can take over 200 fares on one trip. After a five-hour shift we are just exhausted."
Next week's stories will include the "acid drop dollies" at British Sidac, a car is stolen at gun point in Eccleston, the armed vigilante gardeners of Alder Hey Road, Rainford Carnival ’70 takes place and "Radio Saints" returns to the air.
We begin on the 17th when six people were taken to hospital following another collision on the East Lancs road at Windle Island traffic lights. This had been the latest in a series of accidents and Rainford Council was proposing a safety plan. The councillors had written to the Ministry of Transport and Lancashire County Council calling for an intermediate set of traffic lights 400 yards away from the existing lights. They'd also suggested a rippled concrete road surface on either side of the lights, which would cause drivers to slow down. However Lancashire County Council said they were waiting for Ministry of Transport approval to start their own improvement scheme at Windle.
On the 20th it was announced that the former Mayor of St Helens, Tom Wilcock, had been expelled from the Labour Party. This was after the Moss Bank councillor and current deputy mayor had stated his intention to stand as an independent candidate at the next General Election.
On the 21st the Reporter updated readers on the latest position as regards the sacked Pilkington strikers. A fortnight earlier several hundred workers at the Cowley Hill float glass plant had taken part in a 3-day strike demanding recognition of the new, rebel Glassworkers Union. Pilkingtons subsequently dismissed all the strikers and also sacked those who withdrew their labour in protest.
In total 480 men were given their cards, although they were allowed to re-apply for their old jobs on condition they joined the GMWU union – which had long been recognised by Pilks. They were also treated as new employees and so lost all existing pension rights and holiday entitlements. Out of the 480 men dismissed, 270 had so far been re-employed.
Another 130 wanted to return to their old jobs but had been told the firm was not yet in a position to take them back. That was because Pilkingtons claimed to have lost so much business during the earlier 7-week strike that at the moment they had sufficient labour. The 130 outstanding applicants had been informed that they would be told if and when suitable vacancies became available. Out of the 480 dismissed employees, all but 80 of them had re-applied for their old jobs.
Those men that had applied for work at other firms claimed they were being blacklisted. Brian Kelly of Haydock told the Reporter: "Once they find out that you are from Pilkington they just don't want to know." Councillor John Potter, Treasurer of the Glassworkers Union, claimed that the blacklisting was commonplace: "Men are being refused jobs all over south-west Lancashire. It is disgusting that a man's right to work is being interfered with in such a manner." Dockers at Liverpool and Birkenhead had also "blacked" Pilkington glass for a week in sympathy with the sacked men but their boycott had now been lifted.
These were the names of 77 students at West Park that had passed the A-level exam. This did not impress the Reporter: "His decision would have robbed these hard-working teenagers and their families of the satisfaction and the glow of pride that comes with seeing their achievements recorded in their own local weekly newspaper." The paper wrote "would have" as they had obtained all the names and results from another source.
The Reporter also described how St Helens firemen had rejected their smart new helmets "designed by Home Office boffins" and reverted to their old-style hats. The men had been wearing the new helmets for over two years but found that after fighting a fire, the plastic-coated headgear would start to melt. They also didn't fit properly and wobbled about on their heads and the back cover of the old helmet had been replaced by a detachable piece of cloth. This, it was said, gave them the look of the French Foreign Legion!
Chief fireman Thomas Brannelly from Vincent Street said: "Whenever you went out on a fire you couldn't keep them on – they were always coming off. You would come away from the fire and notice all the top of the helmet had melted. I don't think any of the lads liked them because the back of the neck wasn't covered by anything solid."
Church Warden Fred Thomas of New Street told the Reporter: "It looked really beautiful. I can't understand people who do things like this. I believe it could have been a gang of skinheads who were causing trouble in the area [on] the same night. I only wish we could find them. I have been connected with the church for the past 40 years and it is only recently that we have had any trouble."
Earlier in the year the Vicar of Sutton had written in his church magazine that he was considering setting up a body of vigilantes to stop the endemic vandalism. The Rev. Paul Conder complained of windows being smashed at St Nicholas and All Saints churches, with the windows in the vestry and porch of the former being regular targets.
There was an advertorial in the Reporter for a new Blackbrook pub called 'The Starting Gate'. It was Bass Charrington's first in St Helens and was so named to tie in with the brewery's close association with Haydock Park Racecourse. The Reporter described a "spectacular moulded mural" that went from the saloon bar into the L-shaped lounge. The mural "recaptures all the thrills of steeplechasing in the old days – with a flag-waving starter, complete with regulation topper."
There was also a profile of a pioneering pre-school playgroup in Sutton Manor, which was held in St Theresa's Church Hall in Gartons Lane. Organiser Pat Clancey of Bentley Street told the paper: "We decided to start a playgroup in February. It is a much-needed amenity in the area. There has never been anything like this for toddlers before, but the need has become acute now that there are four new housing estates in the district."
Local husbands had painted the hall to brighten it up and created what the Reporter called a "toddlers’ toyland" by converting discarded pieces of wood and old furniture into cots, wheelbarrows, hobby horses, easels and a "kiddiwinks wonder world of fun." Fifty-two children were attending the two-hour sessions on three mornings a week, with 100 more youngsters on a waiting list.
The Reporter also wrote: "A team of detectives are out to beat a gang of vacuum cleaner con-men who have swept into St. Helens." The men would push yellow cards through letterboxes asking householders if they would like to have their Hoover cleaner or washing machine serviced. If the answer was "yes", then they were invited to place the card in their front window and the men would return on the following day. Gladys Light of Field Road in Clock Face was one victim of the gang. The 49-year-old had let them take away her cleaner for service and never saw it again. "They were certainly professionals and I was really taken in," she said.
Det. Constable Hogg told the Reporter: "Another dodge they employ is to call on elderly couples. The con men study their vacuum cleaners and then twist the motor belt. They start it up and when it gets hot they tell the old couple that there is a fire risk unless they have a new motor fitted. They take it away, bring it back, say they have fitted the motor and pocket the money for the job. In most cases we find that the work has not been done."
Crews on the number 23 bus service to Sutton Manor were also in the news. They were threatening strike action after complaining that their buses were too tightly packed, leaving them tired out. Driver Peter Maxlow said: "We are allowed 25 minutes to get from Helena House to Sutton Manor. There are 30 stops on the route and because there are a lot of people using the service, we pick up passengers at nearly every stop. At peak hours we can take over 200 fares on one trip. After a five-hour shift we are just exhausted."
Next week's stories will include the "acid drop dollies" at British Sidac, a car is stolen at gun point in Eccleston, the armed vigilante gardeners of Alder Hey Road, Rainford Carnival ’70 takes place and "Radio Saints" returns to the air.
This week's stories include an update on the sacked Pilkington strikers, a claim of a petty boycott by the head of West Park Grammar, the melting helmets of St Helens firemen and vandals smash a recently restored stained glass window in Sutton.
We begin on the 17th when six people were taken to hospital following another collision on the East Lancs road at Windle Island traffic lights.
This had been the latest in a series of accidents and Rainford Council was proposing a safety plan.
The councillors had written to the Ministry of Transport and Lancashire County Council calling for an intermediate set of traffic lights 400 yards away from the existing lights.
They'd also suggested a rippled concrete road surface on either side of the lights, which would cause drivers to slow down.
However Lancashire County Council said they were waiting for Ministry of Transport approval to start their own improvement scheme at Windle.
On the 20th it was announced that the former Mayor of St Helens, Tom Wilcock, had been expelled from the Labour Party.
This was after the Moss Bank councillor and current deputy mayor had stated his intention to stand as an independent candidate at the next General Election.
On the 21st the Reporter updated readers on the latest position as regards the sacked Pilkington strikers.
A fortnight earlier several hundred workers at the Cowley Hill float glass plant had taken part in a 3-day strike demanding recognition of the new, rebel Glassworkers Union.
Pilkingtons subsequently dismissed all the strikers and also sacked those who withdrew their labour in protest.
In total 480 men were given their cards, although they were allowed to re-apply for their old jobs on condition they joined the GMWU union – which had long been recognised by Pilks.
They were also treated as new employees and so lost all existing pension rights and holiday entitlements. Out of the 480 men dismissed, 270 had so far been re-employed.
Another 130 wanted to return to their old jobs but had been told the firm was not yet in a position to take them back.
That was because Pilkingtons claimed to have lost so much business during the earlier 7-week strike that at the moment they had sufficient labour.
The 130 outstanding applicants had been informed that they would be told if and when suitable vacancies became available.
Out of the 480 dismissed employees, all but 80 of them had re-applied for their old jobs.
Those men that had applied for work at other firms claimed they were being blacklisted.
Brian Kelly of Haydock told the Reporter: "Once they find out that you are from Pilkington they just don't want to know."
Councillor John Potter, Treasurer of the Glassworkers Union, claimed that the blacklisting was commonplace:
"Men are being refused jobs all over south-west Lancashire. It is disgusting that a man's right to work is being interfered with in such a manner."
Dockers at Liverpool and Birkenhead had also "blacked" Pilkington glass for a week in sympathy with the sacked men but their boycott had now been lifted.
In a front-page article entitled "Oh, Brother…" (referencing the TV comedy with Derek NImmo), the Reporter wrote about another attempted boycott, this time by West Park Grammar School (pictured above).
The headmaster, Brother Leonard, had apparently taken offence at something printed in the paper in the past.
And, according to the Reporter, he "chose to retaliate by refusing to give us the names of his successful G.C.E. students for publication."
These were the names of 77 students at West Park that had passed the A-level exam. This did not impress the Reporter:
"His decision would have robbed these hard-working teenagers and their families of the satisfaction and the glow of pride that comes with seeing their achievements recorded in their own local weekly newspaper."
The paper wrote "would have" as they had obtained all the names and results from another source.
The Reporter also described how St Helens firemen had rejected their smart new helmets "designed by Home Office boffins" and reverted to their old-style hats.
The men had been wearing the new helmets for over two years but found that after fighting a fire, the plastic-coated headgear would start to melt.
They also didn't fit properly and wobbled about on their heads and the back cover of the old helmet had been replaced by a detachable piece of cloth.
This, it was said, gave them the look of the French Foreign Legion! Chief fireman Thomas Brannelly from Vincent Street said:
"Whenever you went out on a fire you couldn't keep them on – they were always coming off. You would come away from the fire and notice all the top of the helmet had melted. I don't think any of the lads liked them because the back of the neck wasn't covered by anything solid."
The newspaper also reported that vandals had smashed a window at St Nicholas Church in Sutton (pictured above) – only a fortnight after experts had restored it.
The stained glass window was valued at £600 – about £10,000 in today's money – and as part of a church renovation scheme to address subsidence, the glass had been removed in sections, cleaned and replaced.
Church Warden Fred Thomas of New Street told the Reporter:
"It looked really beautiful. I can't understand people who do things like this. I believe it could have been a gang of skinheads who were causing trouble in the area [on] the same night. I only wish we could find them. I have been connected with the church for the past 40 years and it is only recently that we have had any trouble."
Earlier in the year the Vicar of Sutton had written in his church magazine that he was considering setting up a body of vigilantes to stop the endemic vandalism.
The Rev. Paul Conder complained of windows being smashed at St Nicholas and All Saints churches, with the windows in the vestry and porch of the former being regular targets.
There was an advertorial in the Reporter for a new Blackbrook pub called 'The Starting Gate'.
It was Bass Charrington's first in St Helens and was so named to tie in with the brewery's close association with Haydock Park Racecourse.
The Reporter described a "spectacular moulded mural" that went from the saloon bar into the L-shaped lounge.
The mural "recaptures all the thrills of steeplechasing in the old days – with a flag-waving starter, complete with regulation topper."
There was also a profile of a pioneering pre-school playgroup in Sutton Manor, which was held in St Theresa's Church Hall in Gartons Lane. Organiser Pat Clancey of Bentley Street told the paper:
"We decided to start a playgroup in February. It is a much-needed amenity in the area. There has never been anything like this for toddlers before, but the need has become acute now that there are four new housing estates in the district."
Local husbands had painted the hall to brighten it up and created what the Reporter called a "toddlers’ toyland" by converting discarded pieces of wood and old furniture into cots, wheelbarrows, hobby horses, easels and a "kiddiwinks wonder world of fun."
Fifty-two children were attending the two-hour sessions on three mornings a week, with 100 more youngsters on a waiting list.
The Reporter also wrote: "A team of detectives are out to beat a gang of vacuum cleaner con-men who have swept into St. Helens."
The men would push yellow cards through letterboxes asking householders if they would like to have their Hoover cleaner or washing machine serviced.
If the answer was "yes", then they were invited to place the card in their front window and the men would return on the following day.
Gladys Light of Field Road in Clock Face was one victim of the gang.
The 49-year-old had let them take away her cleaner for service and never saw it again.
"They were certainly professionals and I was really taken in," she said. Det. Constable Hogg told the Reporter:
"Another dodge they employ is to call on elderly couples. The con men study their vacuum cleaners and then twist the motor belt. They start it up and when it gets hot they tell the old couple that there is a fire risk unless they have a new motor fitted.
"They take it away, bring it back, say they have fitted the motor and pocket the money for the job. In most cases we find that the work has not been done."
Crews on the number 23 bus service to Sutton Manor were also in the news.
They were threatening strike action after complaining that their buses were too tightly packed, leaving them tired out. Driver Peter Maxlow said:
"We are allowed 25 minutes to get from Helena House to Sutton Manor. There are 30 stops on the route and because there are a lot of people using the service, we pick up passengers at nearly every stop. At peak hours we can take over 200 fares on one trip. After a five-hour shift we are just exhausted."
Next week's stories will include the "acid drop dollies" at British Sidac, a car is stolen at gun point in Eccleston, the armed vigilante gardeners of Alder Hey Road, Rainford Carnival ’70 takes place and "Radio Saints" returns to the air.
We begin on the 17th when six people were taken to hospital following another collision on the East Lancs road at Windle Island traffic lights.
This had been the latest in a series of accidents and Rainford Council was proposing a safety plan.
The councillors had written to the Ministry of Transport and Lancashire County Council calling for an intermediate set of traffic lights 400 yards away from the existing lights.
They'd also suggested a rippled concrete road surface on either side of the lights, which would cause drivers to slow down.
However Lancashire County Council said they were waiting for Ministry of Transport approval to start their own improvement scheme at Windle.
On the 20th it was announced that the former Mayor of St Helens, Tom Wilcock, had been expelled from the Labour Party.
This was after the Moss Bank councillor and current deputy mayor had stated his intention to stand as an independent candidate at the next General Election.
On the 21st the Reporter updated readers on the latest position as regards the sacked Pilkington strikers.
A fortnight earlier several hundred workers at the Cowley Hill float glass plant had taken part in a 3-day strike demanding recognition of the new, rebel Glassworkers Union.
Pilkingtons subsequently dismissed all the strikers and also sacked those who withdrew their labour in protest.
In total 480 men were given their cards, although they were allowed to re-apply for their old jobs on condition they joined the GMWU union – which had long been recognised by Pilks.
They were also treated as new employees and so lost all existing pension rights and holiday entitlements. Out of the 480 men dismissed, 270 had so far been re-employed.
Another 130 wanted to return to their old jobs but had been told the firm was not yet in a position to take them back.
That was because Pilkingtons claimed to have lost so much business during the earlier 7-week strike that at the moment they had sufficient labour.
The 130 outstanding applicants had been informed that they would be told if and when suitable vacancies became available.
Out of the 480 dismissed employees, all but 80 of them had re-applied for their old jobs.
Those men that had applied for work at other firms claimed they were being blacklisted.
Brian Kelly of Haydock told the Reporter: "Once they find out that you are from Pilkington they just don't want to know."
Councillor John Potter, Treasurer of the Glassworkers Union, claimed that the blacklisting was commonplace:
"Men are being refused jobs all over south-west Lancashire. It is disgusting that a man's right to work is being interfered with in such a manner."
Dockers at Liverpool and Birkenhead had also "blacked" Pilkington glass for a week in sympathy with the sacked men but their boycott had now been lifted.
The headmaster, Brother Leonard, had apparently taken offence at something printed in the paper in the past.
And, according to the Reporter, he "chose to retaliate by refusing to give us the names of his successful G.C.E. students for publication."
These were the names of 77 students at West Park that had passed the A-level exam. This did not impress the Reporter:
"His decision would have robbed these hard-working teenagers and their families of the satisfaction and the glow of pride that comes with seeing their achievements recorded in their own local weekly newspaper."
The paper wrote "would have" as they had obtained all the names and results from another source.
The Reporter also described how St Helens firemen had rejected their smart new helmets "designed by Home Office boffins" and reverted to their old-style hats.
The men had been wearing the new helmets for over two years but found that after fighting a fire, the plastic-coated headgear would start to melt.
They also didn't fit properly and wobbled about on their heads and the back cover of the old helmet had been replaced by a detachable piece of cloth.
This, it was said, gave them the look of the French Foreign Legion! Chief fireman Thomas Brannelly from Vincent Street said:
"Whenever you went out on a fire you couldn't keep them on – they were always coming off. You would come away from the fire and notice all the top of the helmet had melted. I don't think any of the lads liked them because the back of the neck wasn't covered by anything solid."
The stained glass window was valued at £600 – about £10,000 in today's money – and as part of a church renovation scheme to address subsidence, the glass had been removed in sections, cleaned and replaced.
Church Warden Fred Thomas of New Street told the Reporter:
"It looked really beautiful. I can't understand people who do things like this. I believe it could have been a gang of skinheads who were causing trouble in the area [on] the same night. I only wish we could find them. I have been connected with the church for the past 40 years and it is only recently that we have had any trouble."
Earlier in the year the Vicar of Sutton had written in his church magazine that he was considering setting up a body of vigilantes to stop the endemic vandalism.
The Rev. Paul Conder complained of windows being smashed at St Nicholas and All Saints churches, with the windows in the vestry and porch of the former being regular targets.
There was an advertorial in the Reporter for a new Blackbrook pub called 'The Starting Gate'.
It was Bass Charrington's first in St Helens and was so named to tie in with the brewery's close association with Haydock Park Racecourse.
The Reporter described a "spectacular moulded mural" that went from the saloon bar into the L-shaped lounge.
The mural "recaptures all the thrills of steeplechasing in the old days – with a flag-waving starter, complete with regulation topper."
There was also a profile of a pioneering pre-school playgroup in Sutton Manor, which was held in St Theresa's Church Hall in Gartons Lane. Organiser Pat Clancey of Bentley Street told the paper:
"We decided to start a playgroup in February. It is a much-needed amenity in the area. There has never been anything like this for toddlers before, but the need has become acute now that there are four new housing estates in the district."
Local husbands had painted the hall to brighten it up and created what the Reporter called a "toddlers’ toyland" by converting discarded pieces of wood and old furniture into cots, wheelbarrows, hobby horses, easels and a "kiddiwinks wonder world of fun."
Fifty-two children were attending the two-hour sessions on three mornings a week, with 100 more youngsters on a waiting list.
The Reporter also wrote: "A team of detectives are out to beat a gang of vacuum cleaner con-men who have swept into St. Helens."
The men would push yellow cards through letterboxes asking householders if they would like to have their Hoover cleaner or washing machine serviced.
If the answer was "yes", then they were invited to place the card in their front window and the men would return on the following day.
Gladys Light of Field Road in Clock Face was one victim of the gang.
The 49-year-old had let them take away her cleaner for service and never saw it again.
"They were certainly professionals and I was really taken in," she said. Det. Constable Hogg told the Reporter:
"Another dodge they employ is to call on elderly couples. The con men study their vacuum cleaners and then twist the motor belt. They start it up and when it gets hot they tell the old couple that there is a fire risk unless they have a new motor fitted.
"They take it away, bring it back, say they have fitted the motor and pocket the money for the job. In most cases we find that the work has not been done."
Crews on the number 23 bus service to Sutton Manor were also in the news.
They were threatening strike action after complaining that their buses were too tightly packed, leaving them tired out. Driver Peter Maxlow said:
"We are allowed 25 minutes to get from Helena House to Sutton Manor. There are 30 stops on the route and because there are a lot of people using the service, we pick up passengers at nearly every stop. At peak hours we can take over 200 fares on one trip. After a five-hour shift we are just exhausted."
Next week's stories will include the "acid drop dollies" at British Sidac, a car is stolen at gun point in Eccleston, the armed vigilante gardeners of Alder Hey Road, Rainford Carnival ’70 takes place and "Radio Saints" returns to the air.