FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 24 - 30 JUNE 1974
This week's many stories include claims of a military invasion of the St Helens Show, the eavesdropping of telephone calls at the Town Hall, a pitched battle in Prescot, how middle-aged women had given a mobile cancer detection clinic the cold shoulder, fury in Farndon Avenue over road mess, an update on the delayed Parr Baths and why there had been a big increase in St Helens' rates.
We begin at the Theatre Royal when from the 24th the Da Silva Puppet Company performed 'Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs' (as it was spelt) which was billed as "an exciting 2-hour show for the whole family". When in 1968 Ray and Joan da Silva's company had performed 'Snow White and the Seven Musical Dwarfs' in St Helens it was described as "Britain's first full-size puppet spectacular". Their 20-foot high puppet stage was claimed to be the largest in the country and allowed for simultaneous operation of marionettes from above and of glove and rod-type puppets from below.
An article in the Liverpool Echo on the 25th looked at the woes of St Helens Town Hall’s finances. Just like today a loss of government grant was seen as partly responsible for the council’s financial difficulties. The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington said:
"There was a loss of grant because of attempts by governments to restrict the rate grant formula when it was intended to give more help to industrial areas but, in effect, the result was the reverse – and as a result St. Helens has lost £1,020,000."
That's about £15m in today's money and that had contributed to rate rises for residents of between 42 to 60%. Inflation as well local government reorganisation were other factors that were blamed, with the council now responsible for 192,000 people, as opposed to 105,000 previously. The new authority now had 842 staff who were being paid salaries totalling £1.56 million. That was expected to soon increase to 932 employees creating a total wage bill of £1.74m.
The St Helens Newspaper described on the 25th how families in Farndon Avenue in Sutton Manor were fed up with roadworks that were being undertaken near their houses, writing: "Opposite their homes lies turmoil in the shape of a contractor's depot for roadwork operations. And that is angering the Sutton residents – some of whom have just been hit by a 100 per cent rates rise. Mums claim that mud “gets everywhere,” and dust blown off the piles of rubble stains their washing. They say also that the noise from vehicles is disturbing, and the view is a disgrace."
The Newspaper also revealed that the long delayed Parr Baths in Ashcroft Street would be open next year. This is how they put it: "St. Helens will be in the swim by May 1975 and the town's dream will come true." Although the idea for the baths went back forty years, financial troubles had beset it. And recently the completion of building work had been put back by up to 18 weeks due to a worldwide shortage of materials required for the bottom of the baths.
But the lead story in the Newspaper was a claim that senior town hall staff were being asked to eavesdrop on telephone calls that were being made by junior colleagues and report them. Any employee subsequently caught having a private conversation faced a fine of 50p. The deputy treasurer Ernie Foxley was behind the plan but was forced to admit to the paper that he had no evidence of any misuse of council phones.
"But the office is so big now that it could go on," he explained. "It is important when you are waiting to telephone into the Town Hall that you get through quickly." And so senior accountants had been asked to listen out for conversations that might be private, although anyone with urgent family business would be allowed to make a call – as long as they informed the "switchboard girl" and agreed to cough up 2p!
Also on the 25th 4,000 "white-collar workers" employed by Pilkingtons took part in a protest strike over pay and conditions. The office staff were members of the Association of Scientific Clerical and Management Staffs and the strike followed the union's rejection of the company's latest offer on salaries and conditions. A productivity bonus scheme was a key demand of the strikers.
The Fleece Hotel in St Helens appeared to have lost a number of their cooking staff. On the 27th they were advertising in the Liverpool Echo that they had immediate vacancies for three chefs. Pay for the three positions would be £20, £40 and £50 per week depending on the seniority of their job.
On the 27th nine men appeared in Huyton Magistrates Court as the consequence of a pitched battle involving 40 people in Prescot at the weekend. Fourteen police officers were called to the incident in Shaw Lane in which a flamethrower and a shotgun were among the weapons used. Chief Inspector Bernard Roney told the court: "People were intent on inflicting as much injury as they could on others. The police could make no headway." All were remanded in custody until another hearing took place in July.
My only criticism of the army and RAF contributions to the St Helens Show was that year after year they tended to get a bit samey. I never thought of them as a recruitment campaign or that any weapons on show might have a negative impact on children. But these were the concerns expressed by Labour councillors in the St Helens Reporter on the 28th who wanted the "military invasion" of Sherdley Park toned down. Cllr Dennis Collins was leading the opposition, saying:
"I don't think any Socialist believes in the show of armed might. We just agreed on the show going forward this year, and now we've got this military take-over." Cllr Tony Harvey commented: "It's getting to the point where it looks more like a military tattoo than a show." And Cllr Bill Jones said: "I have very strong feelings on this military show of strength. I feel it is a bad influence."
The three-day event that would begin on July 25th did feature a substantial contribution from the armed forces as its provisional programme that was released this week made clear. The Show would feature the Red Devils parachutists; the Royal Artillery motorcycle display team; a Royal Military Police "tent pegging" display (a form of jousting on horseback and motorbike); the Royal Corps of Transport's physical training team; a Royal Greenjackets "platoon in attack" demonstration and a Royal Marines jungle rescue helicopter display.
In addition there would be performances in the park by two army bands. But also planned was music from brass bands and "beat groups", dog shows, all-in-wrestling, talent shows and 'It's a Knockout' contests. The current Miss Great Britain, Gay Spink, and comic Bob Monkhouse were expected to make appearances and the Show would get underway on the Thursday when the Mayor of St Helens, Paddy Gill, travelled to Sherdley Park in an open landau carriage followed by a 100-year-old mail coach.
Pictured in the Reporter were some of the 236 pensioners from Parr Darby and Joan Club who were about to leave on their annual outing to Blackpool on six coaches. They were photographed with Mayor Paddy Gill who gave them his official send off.
The paper also described how middle-aged women had given a mobile cancer detection clinic the cold shoulder when it visited St Helens. The clinic had spent five days touring different parts of the town and it was equipped to provide 200 cervical smear tests. However, only 91 women had attended and these were mainly in their twenties or thirties. Embarrassment and an "unenlightened attitude" were blamed for the older women's lack of response. A local doctor told the Reporter: "We really would like women in the older age group to come forward. We always try to have a woman doctor on duty in the clinics. There is no need for embarrassment."
The century-old Wesleyan Methodist Church in Corporation Street had been one of St Helens better-known landmarks. Its final church service had taken place in May 1973 and then it was demolished and work soon began on a new building on the same site.
The Reporter described how the completion date of the new church had been delayed but it would now open as part of a five-storey office block on June 21st 1975. That had yet to be named but would become Wesley House. Church services while the rebuild took place were being held in the Unitarian Church with midweek meetings at the YWCA.
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include why St Helens Council had dropped its High Court appeal against Leathers, NUPE consider a ban on private beds in St Helens and Whiston hospitals and the Cowley School Gala takes place.
We begin at the Theatre Royal when from the 24th the Da Silva Puppet Company performed 'Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs' (as it was spelt) which was billed as "an exciting 2-hour show for the whole family". When in 1968 Ray and Joan da Silva's company had performed 'Snow White and the Seven Musical Dwarfs' in St Helens it was described as "Britain's first full-size puppet spectacular". Their 20-foot high puppet stage was claimed to be the largest in the country and allowed for simultaneous operation of marionettes from above and of glove and rod-type puppets from below.
"There was a loss of grant because of attempts by governments to restrict the rate grant formula when it was intended to give more help to industrial areas but, in effect, the result was the reverse – and as a result St. Helens has lost £1,020,000."
That's about £15m in today's money and that had contributed to rate rises for residents of between 42 to 60%. Inflation as well local government reorganisation were other factors that were blamed, with the council now responsible for 192,000 people, as opposed to 105,000 previously. The new authority now had 842 staff who were being paid salaries totalling £1.56 million. That was expected to soon increase to 932 employees creating a total wage bill of £1.74m.
The St Helens Newspaper described on the 25th how families in Farndon Avenue in Sutton Manor were fed up with roadworks that were being undertaken near their houses, writing: "Opposite their homes lies turmoil in the shape of a contractor's depot for roadwork operations. And that is angering the Sutton residents – some of whom have just been hit by a 100 per cent rates rise. Mums claim that mud “gets everywhere,” and dust blown off the piles of rubble stains their washing. They say also that the noise from vehicles is disturbing, and the view is a disgrace."
The Newspaper also revealed that the long delayed Parr Baths in Ashcroft Street would be open next year. This is how they put it: "St. Helens will be in the swim by May 1975 and the town's dream will come true." Although the idea for the baths went back forty years, financial troubles had beset it. And recently the completion of building work had been put back by up to 18 weeks due to a worldwide shortage of materials required for the bottom of the baths.
But the lead story in the Newspaper was a claim that senior town hall staff were being asked to eavesdrop on telephone calls that were being made by junior colleagues and report them. Any employee subsequently caught having a private conversation faced a fine of 50p. The deputy treasurer Ernie Foxley was behind the plan but was forced to admit to the paper that he had no evidence of any misuse of council phones.
"But the office is so big now that it could go on," he explained. "It is important when you are waiting to telephone into the Town Hall that you get through quickly." And so senior accountants had been asked to listen out for conversations that might be private, although anyone with urgent family business would be allowed to make a call – as long as they informed the "switchboard girl" and agreed to cough up 2p!
Also on the 25th 4,000 "white-collar workers" employed by Pilkingtons took part in a protest strike over pay and conditions. The office staff were members of the Association of Scientific Clerical and Management Staffs and the strike followed the union's rejection of the company's latest offer on salaries and conditions. A productivity bonus scheme was a key demand of the strikers.
The Fleece Hotel in St Helens appeared to have lost a number of their cooking staff. On the 27th they were advertising in the Liverpool Echo that they had immediate vacancies for three chefs. Pay for the three positions would be £20, £40 and £50 per week depending on the seniority of their job.
On the 27th nine men appeared in Huyton Magistrates Court as the consequence of a pitched battle involving 40 people in Prescot at the weekend. Fourteen police officers were called to the incident in Shaw Lane in which a flamethrower and a shotgun were among the weapons used. Chief Inspector Bernard Roney told the court: "People were intent on inflicting as much injury as they could on others. The police could make no headway." All were remanded in custody until another hearing took place in July.
My only criticism of the army and RAF contributions to the St Helens Show was that year after year they tended to get a bit samey. I never thought of them as a recruitment campaign or that any weapons on show might have a negative impact on children. But these were the concerns expressed by Labour councillors in the St Helens Reporter on the 28th who wanted the "military invasion" of Sherdley Park toned down. Cllr Dennis Collins was leading the opposition, saying:
"I don't think any Socialist believes in the show of armed might. We just agreed on the show going forward this year, and now we've got this military take-over." Cllr Tony Harvey commented: "It's getting to the point where it looks more like a military tattoo than a show." And Cllr Bill Jones said: "I have very strong feelings on this military show of strength. I feel it is a bad influence."
The three-day event that would begin on July 25th did feature a substantial contribution from the armed forces as its provisional programme that was released this week made clear. The Show would feature the Red Devils parachutists; the Royal Artillery motorcycle display team; a Royal Military Police "tent pegging" display (a form of jousting on horseback and motorbike); the Royal Corps of Transport's physical training team; a Royal Greenjackets "platoon in attack" demonstration and a Royal Marines jungle rescue helicopter display.
In addition there would be performances in the park by two army bands. But also planned was music from brass bands and "beat groups", dog shows, all-in-wrestling, talent shows and 'It's a Knockout' contests. The current Miss Great Britain, Gay Spink, and comic Bob Monkhouse were expected to make appearances and the Show would get underway on the Thursday when the Mayor of St Helens, Paddy Gill, travelled to Sherdley Park in an open landau carriage followed by a 100-year-old mail coach.
Pictured in the Reporter were some of the 236 pensioners from Parr Darby and Joan Club who were about to leave on their annual outing to Blackpool on six coaches. They were photographed with Mayor Paddy Gill who gave them his official send off.
The paper also described how middle-aged women had given a mobile cancer detection clinic the cold shoulder when it visited St Helens. The clinic had spent five days touring different parts of the town and it was equipped to provide 200 cervical smear tests. However, only 91 women had attended and these were mainly in their twenties or thirties. Embarrassment and an "unenlightened attitude" were blamed for the older women's lack of response. A local doctor told the Reporter: "We really would like women in the older age group to come forward. We always try to have a woman doctor on duty in the clinics. There is no need for embarrassment."
The century-old Wesleyan Methodist Church in Corporation Street had been one of St Helens better-known landmarks. Its final church service had taken place in May 1973 and then it was demolished and work soon began on a new building on the same site.
The Reporter described how the completion date of the new church had been delayed but it would now open as part of a five-storey office block on June 21st 1975. That had yet to be named but would become Wesley House. Church services while the rebuild took place were being held in the Unitarian Church with midweek meetings at the YWCA.
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include why St Helens Council had dropped its High Court appeal against Leathers, NUPE consider a ban on private beds in St Helens and Whiston hospitals and the Cowley School Gala takes place.
This week's many stories include claims of a military invasion of the St Helens Show, the eavesdropping of telephone calls at the Town Hall, a pitched battle in Prescot, how middle-aged women had given a mobile cancer detection clinic the cold shoulder, fury in Farndon Avenue over road mess, an update on the delayed Parr Baths and why there had been a big increase in St Helens' rates.
We begin at the Theatre Royal when from the 24th the Da Silva Puppet Company performed 'Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs' (as it was spelt) which was billed as "an exciting 2-hour show for the whole family".
When in 1968 Ray and Joan da Silva's company had performed 'Snow White and the Seven Musical Dwarfs' in St Helens it was described as "Britain's first full-size puppet spectacular".
Their 20-foot high puppet stage was claimed to be the largest in the country and allowed for simultaneous operation of marionettes from above and of glove and rod-type puppets from below.
An article in the Liverpool Echo on the 25th looked at the woes of St Helens Town Hall’s finances.
Just like today a loss of government grant was seen as partly responsible for the council’s financial difficulties. The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington said:
"There was a loss of grant because of attempts by governments to restrict the rate grant formula when it was intended to give more help to industrial areas but, in effect, the result was the reverse – and as a result St. Helens has lost £1,020,000."
That's about £15m in today's money and that had contributed to rate rises for residents of between 42 to 60%.
Inflation as well local government reorganisation were other factors that were blamed, with the council now responsible for 192,000 people, as opposed to 105,000 previously.
The new authority now had 842 staff who were being paid salaries totalling £1.56 million. That was expected to soon increase to 932 employees creating a total wage bill of £1.74m.
The St Helens Newspaper described on the 25th how families in Farndon Avenue in Sutton Manor were fed up with roadworks that were being undertaken near their houses, writing:
"Opposite their homes lies turmoil in the shape of a contractor's depot for roadwork operations. And that is angering the Sutton residents – some of whom have just been hit by a 100 per cent rates rise.
"Mums claim that mud “gets everywhere,” and dust blown off the piles of rubble stains their washing. They say also that the noise from vehicles is disturbing, and the view is a disgrace."
The Newspaper also revealed that the long delayed Parr Baths in Ashcroft Street would be open next year. This is how they put it:
"St. Helens will be in the swim by May 1975 and the town's dream will come true."
Although the idea for the baths went back forty years, financial troubles had beset it.
And recently the completion of building work had been put back by up to 18 weeks due to a worldwide shortage of materials required for the bottom of the baths.
But the lead story in the Newspaper was a claim that senior town hall staff were being asked to eavesdrop on telephone calls that were being made by junior colleagues and report them.
Any employee subsequently caught having a private conversation faced a fine of 50p.
The deputy treasurer Ernie Foxley was behind the plan but was forced to admit to the paper that he had no evidence of any misuse of council phones.
"But the office is so big now that it could go on," he explained. "It is important when you are waiting to telephone into the Town Hall that you get through quickly."
And so senior accountants had been asked to listen out for conversations that might be private, although anyone with urgent family business would be allowed to make a call – as long as they informed the "switchboard girl" and agreed to cough up 2p!
Also on the 25th 4,000 "white-collar workers" employed by Pilkingtons took part in a protest strike over pay and conditions.
The office staff were members of the Association of Scientific Technical and Managerial Staffs and the strike followed the union's rejection of the company's latest offer on salaries and conditions.
A productivity bonus scheme was a key demand of the strikers.
The Fleece Hotel in St Helens appeared to have lost a number of their cooking staff. On the 27th they were advertising in the Liverpool Echo that they had immediate vacancies for three chefs.
Pay for the three positions would be £20, £40 and £50 per week depending on the seniority of their job.
On the 27th nine men appeared in Huyton Magistrates Court as the consequence of a pitched battle involving 40 people in Prescot at the weekend.
Fourteen police officers were called to the incident in Shaw Lane in which a flamethrower and a shotgun were among the weapons used.
Chief Inspector Bernard Roney told the court: "People were intent on inflicting as much injury as they could on others. The police could make no headway."
All were remanded in custody until another hearing took place in July.
My only criticism of the army and RAF contributions to the St Helens Show was that year after year they tended to get a bit samey.
I never thought of them as a recruitment campaign or that any weapons on show might have a negative impact on children.
But these were the concerns expressed by Labour councillors in the St Helens Reporter on the 28th who wanted the "military invasion" of Sherdley Park toned down. Cllr Dennis Collins was leading the opposition, saying:
"I don't think any Socialist believes in the show of armed might. We just agreed on the show going forward this year, and now we've got this military take-over."
Cllr Tony Harvey commented: "It's getting to the point where it looks more like a military tattoo than a show."
And Cllr Bill Jones said: "I have very strong feelings on this military show of strength. I feel it is a bad influence."
The three-day event that would begin on July 25th did feature a substantial contribution from the armed forces as its provisional programme that was released this week made clear.
The Show would feature the Red Devils parachutists; the Royal Artillery motorcycle display team; a Royal Military Police "tent pegging" display (a form of jousting on horseback and motorbike); the Royal Corps of Transport's physical training team; a Royal Greenjackets "platoon in attack" demonstration and a Royal Marines jungle rescue helicopter display.
In addition there would be performances in the park by two army bands. But also planned was music from brass bands and "beat groups", dog shows, all-in-wrestling, talent shows and 'It's a Knockout' contests.
The current Miss Great Britain, Gay Spink, and comic Bob Monkhouse were expected to make appearances and the Show would get underway on the Thursday when the Mayor of St Helens, Paddy Gill, travelled to Sherdley Park in an open landau carriage followed by a 100-year-old mail coach.
Pictured in the Reporter were some of the 236 pensioners from Parr Darby and Joan Club who were about to leave on their annual outing to Blackpool on six coaches.
They were photographed with Mayor Paddy Gill who gave them his official send off.
The paper also described how middle-aged women had given a mobile cancer detection clinic the cold shoulder when it visited St Helens.
The clinic had spent five days touring different parts of the town and it was equipped to provide 200 cervical smear tests.
However, only 91 women had attended and these were mainly in their twenties or thirties.
Embarrassment and an "unenlightened attitude" were blamed for the older women's lack of response. A local doctor told the Reporter:
"We really would like women in the older age group to come forward. We always try to have a woman doctor on duty in the clinics. There is no need for embarrassment."
The century-old Wesleyan Methodist Church in Corporation Street had been one of St Helens better-known landmarks.
Its final church service had taken place in May 1973 and then it was demolished and work soon began on a new building on the same site.
The Reporter described how the completion date of the new church had been delayed but it would now open as part of a five-storey office block on June 21st 1975. That had yet to be named but would become Wesley House.
Church services while the rebuild took place were being held in the Unitarian Church with midweek meetings at the YWCA.
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include why St Helens Council had dropped its High Court appeal against Leathers, NUPE consider a ban on private beds in St Helens and Whiston hospitals and the Cowley School Gala takes place.
We begin at the Theatre Royal when from the 24th the Da Silva Puppet Company performed 'Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs' (as it was spelt) which was billed as "an exciting 2-hour show for the whole family".
When in 1968 Ray and Joan da Silva's company had performed 'Snow White and the Seven Musical Dwarfs' in St Helens it was described as "Britain's first full-size puppet spectacular".
Their 20-foot high puppet stage was claimed to be the largest in the country and allowed for simultaneous operation of marionettes from above and of glove and rod-type puppets from below.
Just like today a loss of government grant was seen as partly responsible for the council’s financial difficulties. The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington said:
"There was a loss of grant because of attempts by governments to restrict the rate grant formula when it was intended to give more help to industrial areas but, in effect, the result was the reverse – and as a result St. Helens has lost £1,020,000."
That's about £15m in today's money and that had contributed to rate rises for residents of between 42 to 60%.
Inflation as well local government reorganisation were other factors that were blamed, with the council now responsible for 192,000 people, as opposed to 105,000 previously.
The new authority now had 842 staff who were being paid salaries totalling £1.56 million. That was expected to soon increase to 932 employees creating a total wage bill of £1.74m.
The St Helens Newspaper described on the 25th how families in Farndon Avenue in Sutton Manor were fed up with roadworks that were being undertaken near their houses, writing:
"Opposite their homes lies turmoil in the shape of a contractor's depot for roadwork operations. And that is angering the Sutton residents – some of whom have just been hit by a 100 per cent rates rise.
"Mums claim that mud “gets everywhere,” and dust blown off the piles of rubble stains their washing. They say also that the noise from vehicles is disturbing, and the view is a disgrace."
The Newspaper also revealed that the long delayed Parr Baths in Ashcroft Street would be open next year. This is how they put it:
"St. Helens will be in the swim by May 1975 and the town's dream will come true."
Although the idea for the baths went back forty years, financial troubles had beset it.
And recently the completion of building work had been put back by up to 18 weeks due to a worldwide shortage of materials required for the bottom of the baths.
But the lead story in the Newspaper was a claim that senior town hall staff were being asked to eavesdrop on telephone calls that were being made by junior colleagues and report them.
Any employee subsequently caught having a private conversation faced a fine of 50p.
The deputy treasurer Ernie Foxley was behind the plan but was forced to admit to the paper that he had no evidence of any misuse of council phones.
"But the office is so big now that it could go on," he explained. "It is important when you are waiting to telephone into the Town Hall that you get through quickly."
And so senior accountants had been asked to listen out for conversations that might be private, although anyone with urgent family business would be allowed to make a call – as long as they informed the "switchboard girl" and agreed to cough up 2p!
Also on the 25th 4,000 "white-collar workers" employed by Pilkingtons took part in a protest strike over pay and conditions.
The office staff were members of the Association of Scientific Technical and Managerial Staffs and the strike followed the union's rejection of the company's latest offer on salaries and conditions.
A productivity bonus scheme was a key demand of the strikers.
The Fleece Hotel in St Helens appeared to have lost a number of their cooking staff. On the 27th they were advertising in the Liverpool Echo that they had immediate vacancies for three chefs.
Pay for the three positions would be £20, £40 and £50 per week depending on the seniority of their job.
On the 27th nine men appeared in Huyton Magistrates Court as the consequence of a pitched battle involving 40 people in Prescot at the weekend.
Fourteen police officers were called to the incident in Shaw Lane in which a flamethrower and a shotgun were among the weapons used.
Chief Inspector Bernard Roney told the court: "People were intent on inflicting as much injury as they could on others. The police could make no headway."
All were remanded in custody until another hearing took place in July.
My only criticism of the army and RAF contributions to the St Helens Show was that year after year they tended to get a bit samey.
I never thought of them as a recruitment campaign or that any weapons on show might have a negative impact on children.
But these were the concerns expressed by Labour councillors in the St Helens Reporter on the 28th who wanted the "military invasion" of Sherdley Park toned down. Cllr Dennis Collins was leading the opposition, saying:
"I don't think any Socialist believes in the show of armed might. We just agreed on the show going forward this year, and now we've got this military take-over."
Cllr Tony Harvey commented: "It's getting to the point where it looks more like a military tattoo than a show."
And Cllr Bill Jones said: "I have very strong feelings on this military show of strength. I feel it is a bad influence."
The three-day event that would begin on July 25th did feature a substantial contribution from the armed forces as its provisional programme that was released this week made clear.
The Show would feature the Red Devils parachutists; the Royal Artillery motorcycle display team; a Royal Military Police "tent pegging" display (a form of jousting on horseback and motorbike); the Royal Corps of Transport's physical training team; a Royal Greenjackets "platoon in attack" demonstration and a Royal Marines jungle rescue helicopter display.
In addition there would be performances in the park by two army bands. But also planned was music from brass bands and "beat groups", dog shows, all-in-wrestling, talent shows and 'It's a Knockout' contests.
The current Miss Great Britain, Gay Spink, and comic Bob Monkhouse were expected to make appearances and the Show would get underway on the Thursday when the Mayor of St Helens, Paddy Gill, travelled to Sherdley Park in an open landau carriage followed by a 100-year-old mail coach.
Pictured in the Reporter were some of the 236 pensioners from Parr Darby and Joan Club who were about to leave on their annual outing to Blackpool on six coaches.
They were photographed with Mayor Paddy Gill who gave them his official send off.
The paper also described how middle-aged women had given a mobile cancer detection clinic the cold shoulder when it visited St Helens.
The clinic had spent five days touring different parts of the town and it was equipped to provide 200 cervical smear tests.
However, only 91 women had attended and these were mainly in their twenties or thirties.
Embarrassment and an "unenlightened attitude" were blamed for the older women's lack of response. A local doctor told the Reporter:
"We really would like women in the older age group to come forward. We always try to have a woman doctor on duty in the clinics. There is no need for embarrassment."
The century-old Wesleyan Methodist Church in Corporation Street had been one of St Helens better-known landmarks.
Its final church service had taken place in May 1973 and then it was demolished and work soon began on a new building on the same site.
The Reporter described how the completion date of the new church had been delayed but it would now open as part of a five-storey office block on June 21st 1975. That had yet to be named but would become Wesley House.
Church services while the rebuild took place were being held in the Unitarian Church with midweek meetings at the YWCA.
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include why St Helens Council had dropped its High Court appeal against Leathers, NUPE consider a ban on private beds in St Helens and Whiston hospitals and the Cowley School Gala takes place.