FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (20th - 26th JUNE 1972)
This week's 15 stories include the shocking violence at the Boundary Road Baptist Church, Saints new state-of-the-art social club, the Blackbrook deadly boiler scare, the busy Boundary Road baths and the parents in Marshalls Cross and Billinge concerned over their children’s road safety.
Throughout this week the comedy actor Hugh Lloyd performed at the Theatre Royal in St Helens in a comedy called 'Don't Tell the Wife' – which also featured Jill Browne of 'Emergency Ward 10' fame. Hugh took time out from his acting to travel to Sutton to present the Cozens-Hardy Shield to Robins Lane Secondary School (pictured above). This was given annually to the St Helens school whose pupils had saved the most money and head girl Doreen Mercer accepted the award on behalf of the school.
I often write about teenagers vandalising and otherwise making a nuisance of themselves during the ‘70s. And so it's nice to be able to report on a good deed that two 15-year-old St Helens' boys did this week. They were Neil Evans of Brynn Street and Peter Donnellan of Hall Street who were on their way to St Albans School when they found a purse. It contained a £10 note and house keys that had been lost by Menna Francis.
The 21-year-old and her husband had only moved into their home on Cambourne Avenue three weeks earlier and Mrs Francis was distraught at losing the cash – worth roughly £150 in today's money. But the two honest lads handed the purse to their headmaster who contacted the police and within hours Mrs Francis was able to collect it.
And now back to the dark side of teenage life in the ‘70s! On the 21st the Boundary Road Baptist Church Hall suffered an arson attack. The culprits were thought to be youngsters, as they'd been small enough to smuggle themselves into the building through a broken window. The fire that the intruders started destroyed two bookcases, toys, books and teaching apparatus and severely damaged internal decorations.
Only a few months earlier, firebugs had dangerously set alight a boiler room near to oil supplies directly underneath the church. The Baptists' minister, the Rev. Roy Turvey, detailed a shocking catalogue of vandalism that the church had recently endured: "We have had hundreds of pounds worth of windows broken over the last couple of years, and a lot of damage caused in break-ins. Every room has had windows broken. Sometimes they smash upwards of 30 at a time."
The Reporter's front-page story on the 23rd described how hundreds of families in Blackbrook had been ordered to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems had been detected. North Sea gas conversion inspectors on the Chain Lane estate had discovered that the residents' flues were capable of allowing deadly fumes to blow back into their homes. Homeowners were concerned that they might have to pay bills of up to £30 (about £450 in today's money) to rectify the problem.
The Chairman of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association, Alan Williams, told the Reporter: "We want to know who is responsible. Everyone is saying it is nothing to do with them. We don't know who is going to fix the flues, when it is going to be done or who is going to pay for it. And in the meantime, residents are without heating or hot water." The North Western Gas Board blamed the builders, Daleholme Estates, for having badly installed the flues. The developers told the Reporter that they would look into the matter.
The paper also described what they called a "one-man war against a bull-dozer". Bricklayer Peter Lenehan had built a barricade on disputed land between his cottage at Carr Mill Dam and the headquarters of the Lancashire Power Boat Club. Mr Lenehan insisted that the land that the club were building a road on belonged to him, telling the Reporter from his barricaded position just yards from a bulldozer:
"I'll stop here until they take me to court to try and prove I am wrong. They are trying to encroach on common land which I have utilised for 10 years and which my father used for 30 years." However, the powerboat club insisted that their deed plans showed the land to be theirs and Ashton-in-Makerfield's Surveyors Department said there was no common land in the area.
It was also reported that the rising population of schoolchildren in St Helens was causing problems for Boundary Road baths (pictured above). They were used both by the general public and by schools – but demand was now so high that the baths were reaching their capacity. And so this week the council's Works Committee considered stopping the so-called county schools located outside of the borough boundaries from using the baths. However, that would lead to a drop in income of £250 a year and the committee finally agreed to continue to allow joint use and see whether the numbers of users could be better managed.
The thorny subject of speed restrictions on the roads came up for discussion again this week. This time it was the residents of Clifton Road in Billinge who sent a petition to their local council. The 82 signatories called for the road to be made one-way; a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour and the installation of cautionary signs indicating the presence of children.
"We do not wish to wait for committee and Ministry approval until the death of some luckless child", said the residents' letter. However, the official position was that speed restrictions and changes to traffic flow could have unintended consequences and needed careful consideration before granting.
Only the Ministry of Transport could approve one-way systems and 20 mph speed limits and so those requests were passed onto the Lancashire County Road Safety Committee. But Billinge Council's Finance and Policy Committee were able to order the erection of a "Caution – Children Playing" sign which would suggest that motorists kept within a 20 mph limit but have no legal authority.
St Helens Town Council considered another petition from parents this week concerned about road safety. This one called for a lollipop man to see their children safely across Marshalls Cross Road to the Broadgate Avenue estate. In one week alone five children had been injured in accidents going to and from school. One of the victims was nine-year-old Peter Robinson who was still on crutches after his leg had been broken six weeks earlier.
The council decided to grant the request and Peter's mother Anita Robinson told the Reporter: "It's wonderful news about the crossing. I'm thrilled. A school crossing patrol is what we have been fighting for. Adults can fend for themselves but children need some protection."
Action was also taken this week to address what was described as an unusually high number of accidents that were occurring near a pedestrian crossing at the Plaza Club in Duke Street. Elderly people were proving particularly vulnerable and so the council's Works Committee decided to change the pedestrian crossing to a pelican crossing. An additional pelican crossing was also to be provided on Baldwin Street, near to its junction with College Street.
In December 1970 the Reporter had lamented what appeared to be the end of the Peasley Cross Darby and Joan Club. After demolition gangs had moved into the area, the club's membership had dramatically declined from over 100 to less than forty. However, the group that had been founded in 1951 had managed to survive but suffered another setback seven weeks ago.
Then their meeting place next door to the Peasley Cross Congregational Church was destroyed by fire. However, this week the club's secretary, Harold Seddon, had some good news to impart, saying: "Everybody rallied round, and we are now back on our feet again." Meetings were being allowed within the Congregational Church and many shops and businesses had provided assistance.
The Reporter also revealed that a new factory was opening in Reginald Road within the next fortnight that would eventually create 200 jobs. The firm was called Kardomah and was a subsidiary of Cadbury-Schweppes and its 40,000 sq. ft. capacity factory would be involved in the blending, packing and distribution of tea.
There was also news of a £60,000 social centre to be built at Knowsley Road by St Helens Rugby League Football Club. It was intended to be a centre where the whole family would be able to enjoy an afternoon and evening out, wining and dining in a style comparable with that of a first-class hotel. The scheme would include a new restaurant, two lounges, a bar and concert hall and it was hoped it would be completed during the early part of next season.
The restaurant windows would be made of Pilkington armour-plate glass and would command what was described as a perfect view of the playing area. The club also planned to build a new toilet block on the left of the spectators' entrance at Dunriding Lane and the old turnstile huts would be replaced by more modern versions. The design and construction had been entrusted to Foster Buildings Ltd of Rainford and Basil Lowe, secretary manager of Saints, told the Reporter:
"This extension will be the largest, most modern and luxurious 'pub' in St. Helens. It will bring a new dimension to rugby league in this area. To be successful these days, you have to think big and get right away from the old image of the game as a Saturday afternoon outing for men only who are willing to put up with anything. That just will not do any more. More and more women spectators are enjoying the game and it is one of the finest sports for the public. But the facilities and amenities both for men and women have been sadly lacking and way behind the times."
There was a bit of good news on the industrial relations front this week when maintenance men at Pilkingtons accepted a pay rise of £2.67 on their basic weekly rate. It had been the second "final" offer that the glass firm had made to the union – with a series of one-day strikes and an overtime ban on the cards if an agreement could not be reached. However, as one dispute was settled, another arose.
On the 26th, a one-day strike by construction workers halted work on building sites in St Helens. Hundreds of men marched through the town in support of their pay claim of £30 for a 35-hour week – and the various other strikes and disputes in St Helens continued without any progress being reported.
Next week's stories will include the St Helens woman who said she'd escaped from a Persian vice club, an update on the Corporation buses in Canada, more on the Chain Lane flues dispute and the biggest shake-up in St Helens Market's history.
I often write about teenagers vandalising and otherwise making a nuisance of themselves during the ‘70s. And so it's nice to be able to report on a good deed that two 15-year-old St Helens' boys did this week. They were Neil Evans of Brynn Street and Peter Donnellan of Hall Street who were on their way to St Albans School when they found a purse. It contained a £10 note and house keys that had been lost by Menna Francis.
The 21-year-old and her husband had only moved into their home on Cambourne Avenue three weeks earlier and Mrs Francis was distraught at losing the cash – worth roughly £150 in today's money. But the two honest lads handed the purse to their headmaster who contacted the police and within hours Mrs Francis was able to collect it.
And now back to the dark side of teenage life in the ‘70s! On the 21st the Boundary Road Baptist Church Hall suffered an arson attack. The culprits were thought to be youngsters, as they'd been small enough to smuggle themselves into the building through a broken window. The fire that the intruders started destroyed two bookcases, toys, books and teaching apparatus and severely damaged internal decorations.
Only a few months earlier, firebugs had dangerously set alight a boiler room near to oil supplies directly underneath the church. The Baptists' minister, the Rev. Roy Turvey, detailed a shocking catalogue of vandalism that the church had recently endured: "We have had hundreds of pounds worth of windows broken over the last couple of years, and a lot of damage caused in break-ins. Every room has had windows broken. Sometimes they smash upwards of 30 at a time."
The Reporter's front-page story on the 23rd described how hundreds of families in Blackbrook had been ordered to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems had been detected. North Sea gas conversion inspectors on the Chain Lane estate had discovered that the residents' flues were capable of allowing deadly fumes to blow back into their homes. Homeowners were concerned that they might have to pay bills of up to £30 (about £450 in today's money) to rectify the problem.
The Chairman of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association, Alan Williams, told the Reporter: "We want to know who is responsible. Everyone is saying it is nothing to do with them. We don't know who is going to fix the flues, when it is going to be done or who is going to pay for it. And in the meantime, residents are without heating or hot water." The North Western Gas Board blamed the builders, Daleholme Estates, for having badly installed the flues. The developers told the Reporter that they would look into the matter.
The paper also described what they called a "one-man war against a bull-dozer". Bricklayer Peter Lenehan had built a barricade on disputed land between his cottage at Carr Mill Dam and the headquarters of the Lancashire Power Boat Club. Mr Lenehan insisted that the land that the club were building a road on belonged to him, telling the Reporter from his barricaded position just yards from a bulldozer:
"I'll stop here until they take me to court to try and prove I am wrong. They are trying to encroach on common land which I have utilised for 10 years and which my father used for 30 years." However, the powerboat club insisted that their deed plans showed the land to be theirs and Ashton-in-Makerfield's Surveyors Department said there was no common land in the area.
The thorny subject of speed restrictions on the roads came up for discussion again this week. This time it was the residents of Clifton Road in Billinge who sent a petition to their local council. The 82 signatories called for the road to be made one-way; a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour and the installation of cautionary signs indicating the presence of children.
"We do not wish to wait for committee and Ministry approval until the death of some luckless child", said the residents' letter. However, the official position was that speed restrictions and changes to traffic flow could have unintended consequences and needed careful consideration before granting.
Only the Ministry of Transport could approve one-way systems and 20 mph speed limits and so those requests were passed onto the Lancashire County Road Safety Committee. But Billinge Council's Finance and Policy Committee were able to order the erection of a "Caution – Children Playing" sign which would suggest that motorists kept within a 20 mph limit but have no legal authority.
St Helens Town Council considered another petition from parents this week concerned about road safety. This one called for a lollipop man to see their children safely across Marshalls Cross Road to the Broadgate Avenue estate. In one week alone five children had been injured in accidents going to and from school. One of the victims was nine-year-old Peter Robinson who was still on crutches after his leg had been broken six weeks earlier.
The council decided to grant the request and Peter's mother Anita Robinson told the Reporter: "It's wonderful news about the crossing. I'm thrilled. A school crossing patrol is what we have been fighting for. Adults can fend for themselves but children need some protection."
Action was also taken this week to address what was described as an unusually high number of accidents that were occurring near a pedestrian crossing at the Plaza Club in Duke Street. Elderly people were proving particularly vulnerable and so the council's Works Committee decided to change the pedestrian crossing to a pelican crossing. An additional pelican crossing was also to be provided on Baldwin Street, near to its junction with College Street.
In December 1970 the Reporter had lamented what appeared to be the end of the Peasley Cross Darby and Joan Club. After demolition gangs had moved into the area, the club's membership had dramatically declined from over 100 to less than forty. However, the group that had been founded in 1951 had managed to survive but suffered another setback seven weeks ago.
Then their meeting place next door to the Peasley Cross Congregational Church was destroyed by fire. However, this week the club's secretary, Harold Seddon, had some good news to impart, saying: "Everybody rallied round, and we are now back on our feet again." Meetings were being allowed within the Congregational Church and many shops and businesses had provided assistance.
The Reporter also revealed that a new factory was opening in Reginald Road within the next fortnight that would eventually create 200 jobs. The firm was called Kardomah and was a subsidiary of Cadbury-Schweppes and its 40,000 sq. ft. capacity factory would be involved in the blending, packing and distribution of tea.
There was also news of a £60,000 social centre to be built at Knowsley Road by St Helens Rugby League Football Club. It was intended to be a centre where the whole family would be able to enjoy an afternoon and evening out, wining and dining in a style comparable with that of a first-class hotel. The scheme would include a new restaurant, two lounges, a bar and concert hall and it was hoped it would be completed during the early part of next season.
The restaurant windows would be made of Pilkington armour-plate glass and would command what was described as a perfect view of the playing area. The club also planned to build a new toilet block on the left of the spectators' entrance at Dunriding Lane and the old turnstile huts would be replaced by more modern versions. The design and construction had been entrusted to Foster Buildings Ltd of Rainford and Basil Lowe, secretary manager of Saints, told the Reporter:
"This extension will be the largest, most modern and luxurious 'pub' in St. Helens. It will bring a new dimension to rugby league in this area. To be successful these days, you have to think big and get right away from the old image of the game as a Saturday afternoon outing for men only who are willing to put up with anything. That just will not do any more. More and more women spectators are enjoying the game and it is one of the finest sports for the public. But the facilities and amenities both for men and women have been sadly lacking and way behind the times."
There was a bit of good news on the industrial relations front this week when maintenance men at Pilkingtons accepted a pay rise of £2.67 on their basic weekly rate. It had been the second "final" offer that the glass firm had made to the union – with a series of one-day strikes and an overtime ban on the cards if an agreement could not be reached. However, as one dispute was settled, another arose.
On the 26th, a one-day strike by construction workers halted work on building sites in St Helens. Hundreds of men marched through the town in support of their pay claim of £30 for a 35-hour week – and the various other strikes and disputes in St Helens continued without any progress being reported.
Next week's stories will include the St Helens woman who said she'd escaped from a Persian vice club, an update on the Corporation buses in Canada, more on the Chain Lane flues dispute and the biggest shake-up in St Helens Market's history.
This week's 15 stories include the shocking violence at the Boundary Road Baptist Church, Saints new state-of-the-art social club, the Blackbrook deadly boiler scare, the busy Boundary Road baths and the parents in Marshalls Cross and Billinge concerned over their children’s road safety.
Throughout this week the comedy actor Hugh Lloyd performed at the Theatre Royal in St Helens in a comedy called 'Don't Tell the Wife' – which also featured Jill Browne of 'Emergency Ward 10' fame.
Hugh took time out from his acting to travel to Sutton to present the Cozens-Hardy Shield to Robins Lane Secondary School (shown above).
This was given annually to the St Helens school whose pupils had saved the most money and head girl Doreen Mercer accepted the award on behalf of the school.
I often write about teenagers vandalising and otherwise making a nuisance of themselves during the ‘70s.
And so it's nice to be able to report on a good deed that two 15-year-old St Helens' boys did this week.
They were Neil Evans of Brynn Street and Peter Donnellan of Hall Street who were on their way to St Albans School when they found a purse.
It contained a £10 note and house keys that had been lost by Menna Francis.
The 21-year-old and her husband had only moved into their home on Cambourne Avenue three weeks earlier and Mrs Francis was distraught at losing the cash – worth roughly £150 in today's money.
But the two honest lads handed the purse to their headmaster who contacted the police and within hours Mrs Francis was able to collect it.
And now back to the dark side of teenage life in the ‘70s! On the 21st the Boundary Road Baptist Church Hall suffered an arson attack.
The culprits were thought to be youngsters, as they'd been small enough to smuggle themselves into the building through a broken window.
The fire that the intruders started destroyed two bookcases, toys, books and teaching apparatus and severely damaged internal decorations.
Only a few months earlier, firebugs had dangerously set alight a boiler room near to oil supplies directly underneath the church.
The Baptists' minister, the Rev. Roy Turvey, detailed a shocking catalogue of vandalism that the church had recently endured:
"We have had hundreds of pounds worth of windows broken over the last couple of years, and a lot of damage caused in break-ins. Every room has had windows broken. Sometimes they smash upwards of 30 at a time."
The Reporter's front-page story on the 23rd described how hundreds of families in Blackbrook had been ordered to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems had been detected.
North Sea gas conversion inspectors on the Chain Lane estate had discovered that the residents' flues were capable of allowing deadly fumes to blow back into their homes.
Homeowners were concerned that they might have to pay bills of up to £30 (about £450 in today's money) to rectify the problem.
The Chairman of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association, Alan Williams, told the Reporter:
"We want to know who is responsible. Everyone is saying it is nothing to do with them. We don't know who is going to fix the flues, when it is going to be done or who is going to pay for it. And in the meantime, residents are without heating or hot water."
The North Western Gas Board blamed the builders, Daleholme Estates, for having badly installed the flues. The developers told the Reporter that they would look into the matter.
The paper also described what they called a "one-man war against a bull-dozer".
Bricklayer Peter Lenehan had built a barricade on disputed land between his cottage at Carr Mill Dam and the headquarters of the Lancashire Power Boat Club.
Mr Lenehan insisted that the land that the club were building a road on belonged to him, telling the Reporter from his barricaded position just yards from a bulldozer:
"I'll stop here until they take me to court to try and prove I am wrong. They are trying to encroach on common land which I have utilised for 10 years and which my father used for 30 years."
However, the powerboat club insisted that their deed plans showed the land to be theirs and Ashton-in-Makerfield's Surveyors Department said there was no common land in the area.
It was also reported that the rising population of schoolchildren in St Helens was causing problems for Boundary Road baths (pictured above).
They were used both by the general public and by schools – but demand was now so high that the baths were reaching their capacity.
And so this week the council's Works Committee considered stopping the so-called county schools located outside of the borough boundaries from using the baths.
However, that would lead to a drop in income of £250 a year and the committee finally agreed to continue to allow joint use and see whether the numbers of users could be better managed.
The thorny subject of speed restrictions on the roads came up for discussion again this week.
This time it was the residents of Clifton Road in Billinge who sent a petition to their local council.
The 82 signatories called for the road to be made one-way; a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour and the installation of cautionary signs indicating the presence of children.
"We do not wish to wait for committee and Ministry approval until the death of some luckless child", said the residents' letter.
However, the official position was that speed restrictions and changes to traffic flow could have unintended consequences and needed careful consideration before granting.
Only the Ministry of Transport could approve one-way systems and 20 mph speed limits and so those requests were passed onto the Lancashire County Road Safety Committee.
But Billinge Council's Finance and Policy Committee were able to order the erection of a "Caution – Children Playing" sign which would suggest that motorists kept within a 20 mph limit but have no legal authority.
St Helens Town Council considered another petition from parents this week concerned about road safety.
This one called for a lollipop man to see their children safely across Marshalls Cross Road to the Broadgate Avenue estate.
In one week alone five children had been injured in accidents going to and from school.
One of the victims was nine-year-old Peter Robinson who was still on crutches after his leg had been broken six weeks earlier.
The council decided to grant the request and Peter's mother Anita Robinson told the Reporter:
"It's wonderful news about the crossing. I'm thrilled. A school crossing patrol is what we have been fighting for. Adults can fend for themselves but children need some protection."
Action was also taken this week to address what was described as an unusually high number of accidents that were occurring near a pedestrian crossing at the Plaza Club in Duke Street.
Elderly people were proving particularly vulnerable and so the council's Works Committee decided to change the pedestrian crossing to a pelican crossing.
An additional pelican crossing was also to be provided on Baldwin Street, near to its junction with College Street.
In December 1970 the Reporter had lamented what appeared to be the end of the Peasley Cross Darby and Joan Club.
After demolition gangs had moved into the area, the club's membership had dramatically declined from over 100 to less than forty.
However, the group that had been founded in 1951 had managed to survive but suffered another setback seven weeks ago.
Then their meeting place next door to the Peasley Cross Congregational Church was destroyed by fire.
However, this week the club's secretary, Harold Seddon, had some good news to impart, saying:
"Everybody rallied round, and we are now back on our feet again."
Meetings were being allowed within the Congregational Church and many shops and businesses had provided assistance.
The Reporter also revealed that a new factory was opening in Reginald Road within the next fortnight that would eventually create 200 jobs.
The firm was called Kardomah and was a subsidiary of Cadbury-Schweppes and its 40,000 sq. ft. capacity factory would be involved in the blending, packing and distribution of tea.
There was also news of a £60,000 social centre to be built at Knowsley Road by St Helens Rugby League Football Club.
It was intended to be a centre where the whole family would be able to enjoy an afternoon and evening out, wining and dining in a style comparable with that of a first-class hotel.
The scheme would include a new restaurant, two lounges, a bar and concert hall and it was hoped it would be completed during the early part of next season.
The restaurant windows would be made of Pilkington armour-plate glass and would command what was described as a perfect view of the playing area.
The club also planned to build a new toilet block on the left of the spectators' entrance at Dunriding Lane and the old turnstile huts would be replaced by more modern versions.
The design and construction had been entrusted to Foster Buildings Ltd of Rainford and Basil Lowe, secretary manager of Saints, told the Reporter:
"This extension will be the largest, most modern and luxurious 'pub' in St. Helens. It will bring a new dimension to rugby league in this area.
"To be successful these days, you have to think big and get right away from the old image of the game as a Saturday afternoon outing for men only who are willing to put up with anything.
"That just will not do any more. More and more women spectators are enjoying the game and it is one of the finest sports for the public. But the facilities and amenities both for men and women have been sadly lacking and way behind the times."
There was a bit of good news on the industrial relations front this week when maintenance men at Pilkingtons accepted a pay rise of £2.67 on their basic weekly rate.
It had been the second "final" offer that the glass firm had made to the union – with a series of one-day strikes and an overtime ban on the cards if an agreement could not be reached. However, as one dispute was settled, another arose.
On the 26th, a one-day strike by construction workers halted work on building sites in St Helens.
Hundreds of men marched through the town in support of their pay claim of £30 for a 35-hour week – and the various other strikes and disputes in St Helens continued without any progress being reported.
Next week's stories will include the St Helens woman who said she'd escaped from a Persian vice club, an update on the Corporation buses in Canada, more on the Chain Lane flues dispute and the biggest shake-up in St Helens Market's history.
Hugh took time out from his acting to travel to Sutton to present the Cozens-Hardy Shield to Robins Lane Secondary School (shown above).
This was given annually to the St Helens school whose pupils had saved the most money and head girl Doreen Mercer accepted the award on behalf of the school.
I often write about teenagers vandalising and otherwise making a nuisance of themselves during the ‘70s.
And so it's nice to be able to report on a good deed that two 15-year-old St Helens' boys did this week.
They were Neil Evans of Brynn Street and Peter Donnellan of Hall Street who were on their way to St Albans School when they found a purse.
It contained a £10 note and house keys that had been lost by Menna Francis.
The 21-year-old and her husband had only moved into their home on Cambourne Avenue three weeks earlier and Mrs Francis was distraught at losing the cash – worth roughly £150 in today's money.
But the two honest lads handed the purse to their headmaster who contacted the police and within hours Mrs Francis was able to collect it.
And now back to the dark side of teenage life in the ‘70s! On the 21st the Boundary Road Baptist Church Hall suffered an arson attack.
The culprits were thought to be youngsters, as they'd been small enough to smuggle themselves into the building through a broken window.
The fire that the intruders started destroyed two bookcases, toys, books and teaching apparatus and severely damaged internal decorations.
Only a few months earlier, firebugs had dangerously set alight a boiler room near to oil supplies directly underneath the church.
The Baptists' minister, the Rev. Roy Turvey, detailed a shocking catalogue of vandalism that the church had recently endured:
"We have had hundreds of pounds worth of windows broken over the last couple of years, and a lot of damage caused in break-ins. Every room has had windows broken. Sometimes they smash upwards of 30 at a time."
The Reporter's front-page story on the 23rd described how hundreds of families in Blackbrook had been ordered to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems had been detected.
North Sea gas conversion inspectors on the Chain Lane estate had discovered that the residents' flues were capable of allowing deadly fumes to blow back into their homes.
Homeowners were concerned that they might have to pay bills of up to £30 (about £450 in today's money) to rectify the problem.
The Chairman of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association, Alan Williams, told the Reporter:
"We want to know who is responsible. Everyone is saying it is nothing to do with them. We don't know who is going to fix the flues, when it is going to be done or who is going to pay for it. And in the meantime, residents are without heating or hot water."
The North Western Gas Board blamed the builders, Daleholme Estates, for having badly installed the flues. The developers told the Reporter that they would look into the matter.
The paper also described what they called a "one-man war against a bull-dozer".
Bricklayer Peter Lenehan had built a barricade on disputed land between his cottage at Carr Mill Dam and the headquarters of the Lancashire Power Boat Club.
Mr Lenehan insisted that the land that the club were building a road on belonged to him, telling the Reporter from his barricaded position just yards from a bulldozer:
"I'll stop here until they take me to court to try and prove I am wrong. They are trying to encroach on common land which I have utilised for 10 years and which my father used for 30 years."
However, the powerboat club insisted that their deed plans showed the land to be theirs and Ashton-in-Makerfield's Surveyors Department said there was no common land in the area.
They were used both by the general public and by schools – but demand was now so high that the baths were reaching their capacity.
And so this week the council's Works Committee considered stopping the so-called county schools located outside of the borough boundaries from using the baths.
However, that would lead to a drop in income of £250 a year and the committee finally agreed to continue to allow joint use and see whether the numbers of users could be better managed.
The thorny subject of speed restrictions on the roads came up for discussion again this week.
This time it was the residents of Clifton Road in Billinge who sent a petition to their local council.
The 82 signatories called for the road to be made one-way; a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour and the installation of cautionary signs indicating the presence of children.
"We do not wish to wait for committee and Ministry approval until the death of some luckless child", said the residents' letter.
However, the official position was that speed restrictions and changes to traffic flow could have unintended consequences and needed careful consideration before granting.
Only the Ministry of Transport could approve one-way systems and 20 mph speed limits and so those requests were passed onto the Lancashire County Road Safety Committee.
But Billinge Council's Finance and Policy Committee were able to order the erection of a "Caution – Children Playing" sign which would suggest that motorists kept within a 20 mph limit but have no legal authority.
St Helens Town Council considered another petition from parents this week concerned about road safety.
This one called for a lollipop man to see their children safely across Marshalls Cross Road to the Broadgate Avenue estate.
In one week alone five children had been injured in accidents going to and from school.
One of the victims was nine-year-old Peter Robinson who was still on crutches after his leg had been broken six weeks earlier.
The council decided to grant the request and Peter's mother Anita Robinson told the Reporter:
"It's wonderful news about the crossing. I'm thrilled. A school crossing patrol is what we have been fighting for. Adults can fend for themselves but children need some protection."
Action was also taken this week to address what was described as an unusually high number of accidents that were occurring near a pedestrian crossing at the Plaza Club in Duke Street.
Elderly people were proving particularly vulnerable and so the council's Works Committee decided to change the pedestrian crossing to a pelican crossing.
An additional pelican crossing was also to be provided on Baldwin Street, near to its junction with College Street.
In December 1970 the Reporter had lamented what appeared to be the end of the Peasley Cross Darby and Joan Club.
After demolition gangs had moved into the area, the club's membership had dramatically declined from over 100 to less than forty.
However, the group that had been founded in 1951 had managed to survive but suffered another setback seven weeks ago.
Then their meeting place next door to the Peasley Cross Congregational Church was destroyed by fire.
However, this week the club's secretary, Harold Seddon, had some good news to impart, saying:
"Everybody rallied round, and we are now back on our feet again."
Meetings were being allowed within the Congregational Church and many shops and businesses had provided assistance.
The Reporter also revealed that a new factory was opening in Reginald Road within the next fortnight that would eventually create 200 jobs.
The firm was called Kardomah and was a subsidiary of Cadbury-Schweppes and its 40,000 sq. ft. capacity factory would be involved in the blending, packing and distribution of tea.
There was also news of a £60,000 social centre to be built at Knowsley Road by St Helens Rugby League Football Club.
It was intended to be a centre where the whole family would be able to enjoy an afternoon and evening out, wining and dining in a style comparable with that of a first-class hotel.
The scheme would include a new restaurant, two lounges, a bar and concert hall and it was hoped it would be completed during the early part of next season.
The restaurant windows would be made of Pilkington armour-plate glass and would command what was described as a perfect view of the playing area.
The club also planned to build a new toilet block on the left of the spectators' entrance at Dunriding Lane and the old turnstile huts would be replaced by more modern versions.
The design and construction had been entrusted to Foster Buildings Ltd of Rainford and Basil Lowe, secretary manager of Saints, told the Reporter:
"This extension will be the largest, most modern and luxurious 'pub' in St. Helens. It will bring a new dimension to rugby league in this area.
"To be successful these days, you have to think big and get right away from the old image of the game as a Saturday afternoon outing for men only who are willing to put up with anything.
"That just will not do any more. More and more women spectators are enjoying the game and it is one of the finest sports for the public. But the facilities and amenities both for men and women have been sadly lacking and way behind the times."
There was a bit of good news on the industrial relations front this week when maintenance men at Pilkingtons accepted a pay rise of £2.67 on their basic weekly rate.
It had been the second "final" offer that the glass firm had made to the union – with a series of one-day strikes and an overtime ban on the cards if an agreement could not be reached. However, as one dispute was settled, another arose.
On the 26th, a one-day strike by construction workers halted work on building sites in St Helens.
Hundreds of men marched through the town in support of their pay claim of £30 for a 35-hour week – and the various other strikes and disputes in St Helens continued without any progress being reported.
Next week's stories will include the St Helens woman who said she'd escaped from a Persian vice club, an update on the Corporation buses in Canada, more on the Chain Lane flues dispute and the biggest shake-up in St Helens Market's history.