FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (26 JUNE - 2 JULY 1973)
This week's 15 stories include the late night pong over Parr, the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, the million pound facelift for homes in Derbyshire Hill, the fish disaster in Carr Mill Dam, there's good news for Rainford Guides, the 3-year-old rescued from a blazing bedroom and some heavy fines are imposed for not returning library books.
We begin on the 26th with the opening of Hatton's new £250,000 car sales and service centre in Knowsley Road. About 600 guests attended, including Lord and Lady Pilkington. The firm had previously been in Prescot Road but in their relocation had dropped their petrol forecourt service. A feature of the new showrooms was the introduction of sales cubicles to give their customers extra privacy when discussing purchases.
There's nothing new, of course, in patients having long waits for treatment on the NHS. On the 26th the London-based Patients' Association raised the case of a woman believed to be from St Helens who had to wait two years for an orthopaedic operation at Warrington Infirmary. They claimed that the long delay at Warrington was due to the consultant surgeon being too busy dealing with motorway accident cases from the nearby M6. However, the hospital said it was through a lengthy waiting list and the complex nature of such operations that tied up theatre time and led to them rationing such ops to one a week.
There's nothing new in sewage pollution too. The Mersey and Weaver River Authority announced this week that the Birchley Road sewage works had been responsible for the deaths of 12,000 fish in Carr Mill Dam during the past month. The works managed by Billinge Council had become overloaded, allowing sewage to get into the water. St Helens Angling Association secretary Joe Powell even claimed that as many as 100,000 fish had died in the dam over the previous four years through sewage pollution. Mr Powell said on the previous Sunday, the dam had been "stinking to high heaven", with dead fish six inches deep in places.
St Helens Housing Committee decided this week to spend over £1.1 million (about £15m in today's money) improving 246 Derbyshire Hill homes. The improvements included new toilets, kitchens, and central heating, as well as a general facelift. However, up to £37,500 of the money would have to be spent removing damage caused by vandals. Social workers would also be setting up a centre as a community contact point to try and steer youngsters away from vandalism into more constructive pursuits.
The first meeting of the Park Road greyhound course had taken place in 1932 and the venue had served as the original home of St Helens Town Football Club. The names of the dogs often reference television programmes, films and music and even popular cars of the time.
For example, the dogs racing on the 487-yard course this week bore monikers such as: 'Yoko' (Ono, no doubt); 'Kid Curry' (after Alias Smith and Jones TV series); 'Bimbo' (after the Jim Reeves song, presumably?); 'Capri' (Ford Capri?); 'My Way' (Sinatra); 'Black Beauty' (TV series); 'Ironside' (TV series); 'Alfie' (film) and 'Petula' (after Petula Clark?).
An appeal went out on the 27th for volunteers to teach English to those with little command of the language. The English Language Liaison Group in Liverpool said they had a particular shortage in St Helens and Wallasey and needed an additional 30 teachers. The students were mainly Asians, with a few from Poland.
The lead story in the St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a mother trapped in a blazing bedroom had saved her three-year-old son by dropping him into the outstretched arms of a neighbour. As fire raged through Ellen Wharton’s home in Dean Way in St Helens, Veronica Morrissey dramatically caught little Dennis as he fell 20 feet towards the ground.
"I was shaking with fright", said Mrs Morrissey. "I didn’t know whether I would catch him. He came hurtling towards me and suddenly he was there – safe in my arms." Other neighbours also dashed to the rescue, including Ken Eden who climbed a ladder and carried a terrified Mrs Wharton to safety. Dennis was believed to have accidentally started the fire by playing with matches.
Eighteen months ago I described how Pakcel Converters of Lancots Lane in Sutton had seemingly pioneered flexi-time in St Helens. In this week's paper the Reporter described how a similar scheme had been launched at a Westfield Street insurance office. Staff at the Royal Insurance Group now had the choice of starting work anytime between 8 and 10 am and finishing between 4 and 7 pm. Hours in hand could also be added up for an extra day's holiday per month. Spokesman Alan Charnock said: "People will be able to miss the rush-hour, organise a more convenient daily routine, or just have a lie-in."
The Reporter described how Rainford Guides long wait for their own headquarters was nearly over. Since the district company had been formed more than six years ago, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings. Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and their application for grant aid from Lancashire County Council had been approved.
The total cost of the new hall was £7,825 – but the grants would total £5,869 leaving the Guides with £1,956 to find. However, their fundraising had already brought in £1,750. Secretary Freda Barton told the Reporter: "This is the news we've been waiting to hear and it's fabulous. I didn't expect so much of a grant. Now we need just over £200, which shouldn't take us long to get." Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
People were often complaining about strange noises and smells in the Reporter. This week Ald. Arthur Luther reported what the paper called a "late-night pong over Parr". The local sewage works was blamed but its manager Bill Stout was puzzled as to the cause: "This is peculiar", he said. "The smell isn't there during the day, only at night, and I've no idea what can be causing it. We should know in a few days when the chemists have finished taking samples and testing the brook."
Meanwhile in Mill Lane in Rainford a strange noise was causing an annoyance. Resident Patricia Seddon had got up a petition against the sound and said: "It's like a high-pitched whine and when you go to bed it's a bit of a problem getting to sleep. The noise can start on Sunday morning when people like a lie in. It gets on people's nerves – it really drives into them." The nearby firm of Welding Units was blamed for the racket. However, they felt the complaints were exaggerated and others as well as them were responsible for noise.
The Reporter had an advertising feature that they called "Setting Up Home". The St Helens advertisers included:
Gray's Glass Centre, Islands Brow ("For the complete glass and glazing service"); Rigby's, Duke Street ("Colour TV from only £1 deposit, repayment over 3, 4 or 5 years – slot meter fitted free if required"); Chas. A. Critchley, Church Street ("Special offer two weeks only Hoover De Luxe twin tub – Only £78.10); Furniture City, corner of Tolver Street / Hardshaw Street ("Save up to 60% on furniture, carpets, bedding, upholstery") and Helena House, Baldwin Street ("Hoover fridges and freezers now at bargain prices! – plus set of 6 beautiful table mats free").
The Reporter also revealed that St Helens magistrates had recently fined a woman £18 for failing to return six library books. That's the equivalent of about £300 in today's money! And at the same court hearing, a husband and wife were fined £12 for not returning their borrowed books. Chief Librarian Geoffrey Senior told the Reporter: "We want these books back – that's our main aim. We don't lose a lot, but we get a fair number of people who don't return books without constant reminding."
The procedure leading to prosecution was explained as first a reminder postcard; then a letter and then the Town Clerk's department would send another letter warning about prosecution. If those three missives failed to produce results, a letter of intended prosecution was despatched, followed by a summons to appear in court. "It involves a lot of staff time," admitted Mr Senior. "I've no idea why people keep books so long. They can always renew them. I hope these prosecutions will be a warning." These days there are no fines for the late return of library books.
On July 1st it was all change at the town's two cinemas. 'Cabaret' starring Liza Minnelli began a week's performances at the Capitol. And the film version of TV comedy 'The Lovers', starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox, started 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy.
And finally, on the 2nd Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital stopped accepting new patients. Over the next few days it would gradually be run down with mothers-to-be admitted to the new maternity unit at Whiston. Cowley Hill's own antenatal clinic had relocated there two months before.
The hospital in Cowley Hill Lane had opened in 1931 and at its peak had 55 beds. But expectant mothers had recently only been occupying 25 of them on average. The closure had been controversial with concerns expressed over the extra distance that some women would have to travel. The building would later become the administrative headquarters for the new St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the armed raid on Matty Coan’s betting office, the end of Providence Hospital's hand to mouth days, Lowe House's plan to thwart stained glass window vandals and the opening of Whiston Hospital's maternity wing.
We begin on the 26th with the opening of Hatton's new £250,000 car sales and service centre in Knowsley Road. About 600 guests attended, including Lord and Lady Pilkington. The firm had previously been in Prescot Road but in their relocation had dropped their petrol forecourt service. A feature of the new showrooms was the introduction of sales cubicles to give their customers extra privacy when discussing purchases.
There's nothing new, of course, in patients having long waits for treatment on the NHS. On the 26th the London-based Patients' Association raised the case of a woman believed to be from St Helens who had to wait two years for an orthopaedic operation at Warrington Infirmary. They claimed that the long delay at Warrington was due to the consultant surgeon being too busy dealing with motorway accident cases from the nearby M6. However, the hospital said it was through a lengthy waiting list and the complex nature of such operations that tied up theatre time and led to them rationing such ops to one a week.
St Helens Housing Committee decided this week to spend over £1.1 million (about £15m in today's money) improving 246 Derbyshire Hill homes. The improvements included new toilets, kitchens, and central heating, as well as a general facelift. However, up to £37,500 of the money would have to be spent removing damage caused by vandals. Social workers would also be setting up a centre as a community contact point to try and steer youngsters away from vandalism into more constructive pursuits.
The first meeting of the Park Road greyhound course had taken place in 1932 and the venue had served as the original home of St Helens Town Football Club. The names of the dogs often reference television programmes, films and music and even popular cars of the time.
For example, the dogs racing on the 487-yard course this week bore monikers such as: 'Yoko' (Ono, no doubt); 'Kid Curry' (after Alias Smith and Jones TV series); 'Bimbo' (after the Jim Reeves song, presumably?); 'Capri' (Ford Capri?); 'My Way' (Sinatra); 'Black Beauty' (TV series); 'Ironside' (TV series); 'Alfie' (film) and 'Petula' (after Petula Clark?).
An appeal went out on the 27th for volunteers to teach English to those with little command of the language. The English Language Liaison Group in Liverpool said they had a particular shortage in St Helens and Wallasey and needed an additional 30 teachers. The students were mainly Asians, with a few from Poland.
The lead story in the St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a mother trapped in a blazing bedroom had saved her three-year-old son by dropping him into the outstretched arms of a neighbour. As fire raged through Ellen Wharton’s home in Dean Way in St Helens, Veronica Morrissey dramatically caught little Dennis as he fell 20 feet towards the ground.
"I was shaking with fright", said Mrs Morrissey. "I didn’t know whether I would catch him. He came hurtling towards me and suddenly he was there – safe in my arms." Other neighbours also dashed to the rescue, including Ken Eden who climbed a ladder and carried a terrified Mrs Wharton to safety. Dennis was believed to have accidentally started the fire by playing with matches.
Eighteen months ago I described how Pakcel Converters of Lancots Lane in Sutton had seemingly pioneered flexi-time in St Helens. In this week's paper the Reporter described how a similar scheme had been launched at a Westfield Street insurance office. Staff at the Royal Insurance Group now had the choice of starting work anytime between 8 and 10 am and finishing between 4 and 7 pm. Hours in hand could also be added up for an extra day's holiday per month. Spokesman Alan Charnock said: "People will be able to miss the rush-hour, organise a more convenient daily routine, or just have a lie-in."
The Reporter described how Rainford Guides long wait for their own headquarters was nearly over. Since the district company had been formed more than six years ago, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings. Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and their application for grant aid from Lancashire County Council had been approved.
The total cost of the new hall was £7,825 – but the grants would total £5,869 leaving the Guides with £1,956 to find. However, their fundraising had already brought in £1,750. Secretary Freda Barton told the Reporter: "This is the news we've been waiting to hear and it's fabulous. I didn't expect so much of a grant. Now we need just over £200, which shouldn't take us long to get." Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
People were often complaining about strange noises and smells in the Reporter. This week Ald. Arthur Luther reported what the paper called a "late-night pong over Parr". The local sewage works was blamed but its manager Bill Stout was puzzled as to the cause: "This is peculiar", he said. "The smell isn't there during the day, only at night, and I've no idea what can be causing it. We should know in a few days when the chemists have finished taking samples and testing the brook."
Meanwhile in Mill Lane in Rainford a strange noise was causing an annoyance. Resident Patricia Seddon had got up a petition against the sound and said: "It's like a high-pitched whine and when you go to bed it's a bit of a problem getting to sleep. The noise can start on Sunday morning when people like a lie in. It gets on people's nerves – it really drives into them." The nearby firm of Welding Units was blamed for the racket. However, they felt the complaints were exaggerated and others as well as them were responsible for noise.
The Reporter had an advertising feature that they called "Setting Up Home". The St Helens advertisers included:
Gray's Glass Centre, Islands Brow ("For the complete glass and glazing service"); Rigby's, Duke Street ("Colour TV from only £1 deposit, repayment over 3, 4 or 5 years – slot meter fitted free if required"); Chas. A. Critchley, Church Street ("Special offer two weeks only Hoover De Luxe twin tub – Only £78.10); Furniture City, corner of Tolver Street / Hardshaw Street ("Save up to 60% on furniture, carpets, bedding, upholstery") and Helena House, Baldwin Street ("Hoover fridges and freezers now at bargain prices! – plus set of 6 beautiful table mats free").
The Reporter also revealed that St Helens magistrates had recently fined a woman £18 for failing to return six library books. That's the equivalent of about £300 in today's money! And at the same court hearing, a husband and wife were fined £12 for not returning their borrowed books. Chief Librarian Geoffrey Senior told the Reporter: "We want these books back – that's our main aim. We don't lose a lot, but we get a fair number of people who don't return books without constant reminding."
The procedure leading to prosecution was explained as first a reminder postcard; then a letter and then the Town Clerk's department would send another letter warning about prosecution. If those three missives failed to produce results, a letter of intended prosecution was despatched, followed by a summons to appear in court. "It involves a lot of staff time," admitted Mr Senior. "I've no idea why people keep books so long. They can always renew them. I hope these prosecutions will be a warning." These days there are no fines for the late return of library books.
On July 1st it was all change at the town's two cinemas. 'Cabaret' starring Liza Minnelli began a week's performances at the Capitol. And the film version of TV comedy 'The Lovers', starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox, started 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy.
And finally, on the 2nd Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital stopped accepting new patients. Over the next few days it would gradually be run down with mothers-to-be admitted to the new maternity unit at Whiston. Cowley Hill's own antenatal clinic had relocated there two months before.
The hospital in Cowley Hill Lane had opened in 1931 and at its peak had 55 beds. But expectant mothers had recently only been occupying 25 of them on average. The closure had been controversial with concerns expressed over the extra distance that some women would have to travel. The building would later become the administrative headquarters for the new St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the armed raid on Matty Coan’s betting office, the end of Providence Hospital's hand to mouth days, Lowe House's plan to thwart stained glass window vandals and the opening of Whiston Hospital's maternity wing.
This week's 15 stories include the late night pong over Parr, the closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, the million pound facelift for homes in Derbyshire Hill, the fish disaster in Carr Mill Dam, there's good news for Rainford Guides, the 3-year-old rescued from a blazing bedroom and some heavy fines are imposed for not returning library books.
We begin on the 26th with the opening of Hatton's new £250,000 car sales and service centre in Knowsley Road. About 600 guests attended, including Lord and Lady Pilkington.
The firm had previously been in Prescot Road but in their relocation had dropped their petrol forecourt service.
A feature of the new showrooms was the introduction of sales cubicles to give their customers extra privacy when discussing purchases.
There's nothing new, of course, in patients having long waits for treatment on the NHS.
On the 26th the London-based Patients' Association raised the case of a woman believed to be from St Helens who had to wait two years for an orthopaedic operation at Warrington Infirmary.
They claimed that the long delay at Warrington was due to the consultant surgeon being too busy dealing with motorway accident cases from the nearby M6.
However, the hospital said it was through a lengthy waiting list and the complex nature of such operations that tied up theatre time and led to them rationing such ops to one a week.
There's nothing new in sewage pollution too. The Mersey and Weaver River Authority announced this week that the Birchley Road sewage works had been responsible for the deaths of 12,000 fish in Carr Mill Dam during the past month.
The works managed by Billinge Council had become overloaded, allowing sewage to get into the water.
St Helens Angling Association secretary Joe Powell even claimed that as many as 100,000 fish had died in the dam over the previous four years through sewage pollution.
Mr Powell said on the previous Sunday, the dam had been "stinking to high heaven", with dead fish six inches deep in places.
St Helens Housing Committee decided this week to spend over £1.1 million (about £15m in today's money) improving 246 Derbyshire Hill homes.
The improvements included new toilets, kitchens, and central heating, as well as a general facelift.
However, up to £37,500 of the money would have to be spent removing damage caused by vandals.
Social workers would also be setting up a centre as a community contact point to try and steer youngsters away from vandalism into more constructive pursuits.
The first meeting of the Park Road greyhound course had taken place in 1932 and the venue had served as the original home of St Helens Town Football Club.
The names of the dogs often reference television programmes, films and music and even popular cars of the time.
For example, the dogs racing on the 487-yard course this week bore monikers such as: 'Yoko' (Ono, no doubt); 'Kid Curry' (after Alias Smith and Jones TV series); 'Bimbo' (after the Jim Reeves song, presumably?); 'Capri' (Ford Capri?); 'My Way' (Sinatra); 'Black Beauty' (TV series); 'Ironside' (TV series); 'Alfie' (film) and 'Petula' (after Petula Clark?).
An appeal went out on the 27th for volunteers to teach English to those with little command of the language.
The English Language Liaison Group in Liverpool said they had a particular shortage in St Helens and Wallasey and needed an additional 30 teachers. The students were mainly Asians, with a few from Poland.
The lead story in the St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a mother trapped in a blazing bedroom had saved her three-year-old son by dropping him into the outstretched arms of a neighbour.
As fire raged through Ellen Wharton’s home in Dean Way in St Helens, Veronica Morrissey dramatically caught little Dennis as he fell 20 feet towards the ground.
"I was shaking with fright", said Mrs Morrissey. "I didn’t know whether I would catch him. He came hurtling towards me and suddenly he was there – safe in my arms."
Other neighbours also dashed to the rescue, including Ken Eden who climbed a ladder and carried a terrified Mrs Wharton to safety.
Dennis was believed to have accidentally started the fire by playing with matches.
Eighteen months ago I described how Pakcel Converters of Lancots Lane in Sutton had seemingly pioneered flexi-time in St Helens.
In this week's paper the Reporter described how a similar scheme had been launched at a Westfield Street insurance office.
Staff at the Royal Insurance Group now had the choice of starting work anytime between 8 and 10 am and finishing between 4 and 7 pm.
Hours in hand could also be added up for an extra day's holiday per month.
Spokesman Alan Charnock said: "People will be able to miss the rush-hour, organise a more convenient daily routine, or just have a lie-in."
The Reporter described how Rainford Guides long wait for their own headquarters was nearly over.
Since the district company had been formed more than six years ago, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings.
Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and their application for grant aid from Lancashire County Council had been approved.
The total cost of the new hall was £7,825 – but the grants would total £5,869 leaving the Guides with £1,956 to find. However, their fundraising had already brought in £1,750.
Secretary Freda Barton told the Reporter: "This is the news we've been waiting to hear and it's fabulous. I didn't expect so much of a grant. Now we need just over £200, which shouldn't take us long to get."
Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
People were often complaining about strange noises and smells in the Reporter.
This week Ald. Arthur Luther reported what the paper called a "late-night pong over Parr".
The local sewage works was blamed but its manager Bill Stout was puzzled as to the cause:
"This is peculiar", he said. "The smell isn't there during the day, only at night, and I've no idea what can be causing it. We should know in a few days when the chemists have finished taking samples and testing the brook."
Meanwhile in Mill Lane in Rainford a strange noise was causing an annoyance. Resident Patricia Seddon had got up a petition against the sound and said:
"It's like a high-pitched whine and when you go to bed it's a bit of a problem getting to sleep. The noise can start on Sunday morning when people like a lie in. It gets on people's nerves – it really drives into them."
The nearby firm of Welding Units was blamed for the racket. However, they felt the complaints were exaggerated and others as well as them were responsible for noise.
The Reporter had an advertising feature that they called "Setting Up Home". The St Helens advertisers included:
Gray's Glass Centre, Islands Brow ("For the complete glass and glazing service"); Rigby's, Duke Street ("Colour TV from only £1 deposit, repayment over 3, 4 or 5 years – slot meter fitted free if required"); Chas. A. Critchley, Church Street ("Special offer two weeks only Hoover De Luxe twin tub – Only £78.10); Furniture City, corner of Tolver Street / Hardshaw Street ("Save up to 60% on furniture, carpets, bedding, upholstery") and Helena House, Baldwin Street ("Hoover fridges and freezers now at bargain prices! – plus set of 6 beautiful table mats free").
The Reporter also revealed that St Helens magistrates had recently fined a woman £18 for failing to return six library books. That's the equivalent of about £300 in today's money!
And at the same court hearing, a husband and wife were fined £12 for not returning their borrowed books. Chief Librarian Geoffrey Senior told the Reporter:
"We want these books back – that's our main aim. We don't lose a lot, but we get a fair number of people who don't return books without constant reminding."
The procedure leading to prosecution was explained as first a reminder postcard; then a letter and then the Town Clerk's department would send another letter warning about prosecution.
If those three missives failed to produce results, a letter of intended prosecution was despatched, followed by a summons to appear in court.
"It involves a lot of staff time," admitted Mr Senior. "I've no idea why people keep books so long. They can always renew them. I hope these prosecutions will be a warning."
These days there are no fines for the late return of library books.
On July 1st it was all change at the town's two cinemas. 'Cabaret' starring Liza Minnelli began a week's performances at the Capitol.
And the film version of TV comedy 'The Lovers', starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox, started 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy.
And finally, on the 2nd Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital stopped accepting new patients. Over the next few days it would gradually be run down with mothers-to-be admitted to the new maternity unit at Whiston.
Cowley Hill's own antenatal clinic had relocated there two months before.
The hospital in Cowley Hill Lane had opened in 1931 and at its peak had 55 beds. But expectant mothers had recently only been occupying 25 of them on average.
The closure had been controversial with concerns expressed over the extra distance that some women would have to travel.
The building would later become the administrative headquarters for the new St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the armed raid on Matty Coan’s betting office, the end of Providence Hospital's hand to mouth days, Lowe House's plan to thwart stained glass window vandals and the opening of Whiston Hospital's maternity wing.
We begin on the 26th with the opening of Hatton's new £250,000 car sales and service centre in Knowsley Road. About 600 guests attended, including Lord and Lady Pilkington.
The firm had previously been in Prescot Road but in their relocation had dropped their petrol forecourt service.
A feature of the new showrooms was the introduction of sales cubicles to give their customers extra privacy when discussing purchases.
There's nothing new, of course, in patients having long waits for treatment on the NHS.
On the 26th the London-based Patients' Association raised the case of a woman believed to be from St Helens who had to wait two years for an orthopaedic operation at Warrington Infirmary.
They claimed that the long delay at Warrington was due to the consultant surgeon being too busy dealing with motorway accident cases from the nearby M6.
However, the hospital said it was through a lengthy waiting list and the complex nature of such operations that tied up theatre time and led to them rationing such ops to one a week.
The works managed by Billinge Council had become overloaded, allowing sewage to get into the water.
St Helens Angling Association secretary Joe Powell even claimed that as many as 100,000 fish had died in the dam over the previous four years through sewage pollution.
Mr Powell said on the previous Sunday, the dam had been "stinking to high heaven", with dead fish six inches deep in places.
St Helens Housing Committee decided this week to spend over £1.1 million (about £15m in today's money) improving 246 Derbyshire Hill homes.
The improvements included new toilets, kitchens, and central heating, as well as a general facelift.
However, up to £37,500 of the money would have to be spent removing damage caused by vandals.
Social workers would also be setting up a centre as a community contact point to try and steer youngsters away from vandalism into more constructive pursuits.
The first meeting of the Park Road greyhound course had taken place in 1932 and the venue had served as the original home of St Helens Town Football Club.
The names of the dogs often reference television programmes, films and music and even popular cars of the time.
For example, the dogs racing on the 487-yard course this week bore monikers such as: 'Yoko' (Ono, no doubt); 'Kid Curry' (after Alias Smith and Jones TV series); 'Bimbo' (after the Jim Reeves song, presumably?); 'Capri' (Ford Capri?); 'My Way' (Sinatra); 'Black Beauty' (TV series); 'Ironside' (TV series); 'Alfie' (film) and 'Petula' (after Petula Clark?).
An appeal went out on the 27th for volunteers to teach English to those with little command of the language.
The English Language Liaison Group in Liverpool said they had a particular shortage in St Helens and Wallasey and needed an additional 30 teachers. The students were mainly Asians, with a few from Poland.
The lead story in the St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a mother trapped in a blazing bedroom had saved her three-year-old son by dropping him into the outstretched arms of a neighbour.
As fire raged through Ellen Wharton’s home in Dean Way in St Helens, Veronica Morrissey dramatically caught little Dennis as he fell 20 feet towards the ground.
"I was shaking with fright", said Mrs Morrissey. "I didn’t know whether I would catch him. He came hurtling towards me and suddenly he was there – safe in my arms."
Other neighbours also dashed to the rescue, including Ken Eden who climbed a ladder and carried a terrified Mrs Wharton to safety.
Dennis was believed to have accidentally started the fire by playing with matches.
Eighteen months ago I described how Pakcel Converters of Lancots Lane in Sutton had seemingly pioneered flexi-time in St Helens.
In this week's paper the Reporter described how a similar scheme had been launched at a Westfield Street insurance office.
Staff at the Royal Insurance Group now had the choice of starting work anytime between 8 and 10 am and finishing between 4 and 7 pm.
Hours in hand could also be added up for an extra day's holiday per month.
Spokesman Alan Charnock said: "People will be able to miss the rush-hour, organise a more convenient daily routine, or just have a lie-in."
The Reporter described how Rainford Guides long wait for their own headquarters was nearly over.
Since the district company had been formed more than six years ago, the Guides and Brownies had used various church halls in the village for their meetings.
Rainford Council had now offered them a piece of land on the Church Farm estate and their application for grant aid from Lancashire County Council had been approved.
The total cost of the new hall was £7,825 – but the grants would total £5,869 leaving the Guides with £1,956 to find. However, their fundraising had already brought in £1,750.
Secretary Freda Barton told the Reporter: "This is the news we've been waiting to hear and it's fabulous. I didn't expect so much of a grant. Now we need just over £200, which shouldn't take us long to get."
Currently there were three Brownie packs in Rainford and one of Guides. But a lack of accommodation meant they had a waiting list of about 70 girls.
People were often complaining about strange noises and smells in the Reporter.
This week Ald. Arthur Luther reported what the paper called a "late-night pong over Parr".
The local sewage works was blamed but its manager Bill Stout was puzzled as to the cause:
"This is peculiar", he said. "The smell isn't there during the day, only at night, and I've no idea what can be causing it. We should know in a few days when the chemists have finished taking samples and testing the brook."
Meanwhile in Mill Lane in Rainford a strange noise was causing an annoyance. Resident Patricia Seddon had got up a petition against the sound and said:
"It's like a high-pitched whine and when you go to bed it's a bit of a problem getting to sleep. The noise can start on Sunday morning when people like a lie in. It gets on people's nerves – it really drives into them."
The nearby firm of Welding Units was blamed for the racket. However, they felt the complaints were exaggerated and others as well as them were responsible for noise.
The Reporter had an advertising feature that they called "Setting Up Home". The St Helens advertisers included:
Gray's Glass Centre, Islands Brow ("For the complete glass and glazing service"); Rigby's, Duke Street ("Colour TV from only £1 deposit, repayment over 3, 4 or 5 years – slot meter fitted free if required"); Chas. A. Critchley, Church Street ("Special offer two weeks only Hoover De Luxe twin tub – Only £78.10); Furniture City, corner of Tolver Street / Hardshaw Street ("Save up to 60% on furniture, carpets, bedding, upholstery") and Helena House, Baldwin Street ("Hoover fridges and freezers now at bargain prices! – plus set of 6 beautiful table mats free").
The Reporter also revealed that St Helens magistrates had recently fined a woman £18 for failing to return six library books. That's the equivalent of about £300 in today's money!
And at the same court hearing, a husband and wife were fined £12 for not returning their borrowed books. Chief Librarian Geoffrey Senior told the Reporter:
"We want these books back – that's our main aim. We don't lose a lot, but we get a fair number of people who don't return books without constant reminding."
The procedure leading to prosecution was explained as first a reminder postcard; then a letter and then the Town Clerk's department would send another letter warning about prosecution.
If those three missives failed to produce results, a letter of intended prosecution was despatched, followed by a summons to appear in court.
"It involves a lot of staff time," admitted Mr Senior. "I've no idea why people keep books so long. They can always renew them. I hope these prosecutions will be a warning."
These days there are no fines for the late return of library books.
On July 1st it was all change at the town's two cinemas. 'Cabaret' starring Liza Minnelli began a week's performances at the Capitol.
And the film version of TV comedy 'The Lovers', starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox, started 7 days of screenings at the ABC Savoy.
And finally, on the 2nd Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital stopped accepting new patients. Over the next few days it would gradually be run down with mothers-to-be admitted to the new maternity unit at Whiston.
Cowley Hill's own antenatal clinic had relocated there two months before.
The hospital in Cowley Hill Lane had opened in 1931 and at its peak had 55 beds. But expectant mothers had recently only been occupying 25 of them on average.
The closure had been controversial with concerns expressed over the extra distance that some women would have to travel.
The building would later become the administrative headquarters for the new St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the armed raid on Matty Coan’s betting office, the end of Providence Hospital's hand to mouth days, Lowe House's plan to thwart stained glass window vandals and the opening of Whiston Hospital's maternity wing.