FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 29 JUNE - 5 JULY 1976
This week's many stories include the eleven CAMRA pubs in St Helens, the new school planned for Sutton, the Cowley Gala takes place, Terence Lennon quits his supermarket group and the row in Grange Park when an angry councillor turned up at a letterwriter's door.
We begin on the 30th when the Brotherhood of Man was in concert at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. Three months earlier the foursome had won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Save Your Kisses for Me'.
I've always felt that if people write letters to newspapers they should state their name. However, there is a very long tradition of anonymity when corresponding with St Helens papers and after what John Thompson experienced when his letter was published in the St Helens Reporter, I doubt he ever gave his name and address again when writing to a newspaper.
In fact after Councillor Jack Morris turned up at his Grange Park home to discuss the contents of his letter, the 67-year-old former council worker probably kept well away from letter-writing! According to Mr Thompson, the councillor was angry about his missive that had been published in this week's paper that was published on the 2nd. He claimed that Cllr Morris had threatened him and would not leave his house until he told him he would call the police.
"He seemed emotionally unstable," Mr Thompson said, "and started waving a rolled up newspaper in front of my face. Then he said: ‘Any more of this letter writing to the Reporter and I'll do you.’" However, Councillor Morris – who was also a magistrate – completely denied threatening Mr Thompson who had a heart condition, saying: "I did not say ‘any more of this or I'll do you.’ That's complete lies. I am not an aggressive person."
Instead the councillor claimed that it was Mr Thompson who had been abusive and he said he couldn't repeat the words that he had used and at no time had the man threatened to call the police. Whichever story was the correct one, there is no doubt that the councillor electing to turn up at Mr Thompson's door over his letter being published in the paper was a rather foolish thing to have done.
The Reporter broke the news that supermarket boss Terence Lennon had resigned as chairman and chief executive of the Lennons Group at the age of 52. The announcement coincided with the news that the food and drink empire had boosted its profits to £1.2 million.
Terence's brother Denis, of Houghtons Lane in Eccleston, was becoming the new boss of Lennons. The retiring chairman, who lived in Kingsley Road in Dentons Green, still held 4 million shares and was being retained as a consultant to the group and was also expected to become its honorary president.
The Reporter also described how a wandering peacock called Albert had returned to its home in Crawford after "leading his owners a merry dance all over Rainford for nearly a week". Albert was finally captured in an Arnian Road garage in the village.
As a result of a national Gallup survey that an ice-cream firm had commissioned which revealed that parents were cutting down on their children's pocket money to save on household spending, the Reporter had undertaken its own research. The paper questioned a selection of 5 to 7-year-olds to see what they thought.
Scott Taylor of Nuttall Street revealed that he received 10 pence on pay day with a daily bonus of five pence worth of sweets and "the occasional odd copper". Upon being questioned why he didn't receive his pocket money in one go, the six-year-old replied: "I'd spend it all at once." And Debbie Lowe of Knowles House Avenue in Eccleston said she received 10p every day which was spent at the sweet shop.
The Reporter described how CAMRA had produced a booklet listing over 200 pubs on Merseyside that served real ale. St Helens had eleven houses included, although few still exist. The 11 listed were:
The Phoenix (Canal Street), the Queen's Head (Parr), the Royal Alfred (Shaw Street), the Talbot (Talbot Street), Turks Head (Cooper Street), Union Tavern (Hall Street), Park Hotel (North Road), the New Inn (Marshalls Cross Road), the Coppersmiths Arms (Watery Lane), the Bull's Head (Parr) and the Vine Tavern (Elephant Lane). All but one of these was a Boddingtons pub.
The genesis of Willow Tree Primary School off Leach Lane was featured in the Reporter's coverage of council planning applications. The school was going to be built on what was described as Port Willow Farm in Sutton Leach. Building work was expected to begin in March 1977 and it would eventually cater for 560 pupils.
The Reporter described how drinking problems in St Helens had reached record levels. Sixty alcoholics had been treated at the Hardshaw Street Clinic last year. That was a rise of over 10% but was thought to only scratch the surface of the issue. As part of a nationwide campaign, voluntary counsellors were being trained and Merseyside, along with two other regions, had been chosen for a year-long pilot project to try and address the growing problem.
The Cowley Gala took place on the 3rd in Hard Lane. The highlight was an International Circus and there was also an army display, pet show, war games, five-a-side football, fencing exhibitions, Morris dancing, model T Ford rides, band concert, target golf and sideshows. Admission for adults was 20p but children were allowed in free and were able to enjoy what was described as a cartoon festival, teddy bears picnic and magicians.
The Radio City Allstars XI also made an appearance, presumably playing a football match. The Reporter subsequently wrote: "Saturday's annual Cowley School Gala was an all-round record-breaker. A record crowd attended the fun and games at Hard Lane in blazing sunshine, and a record profit of £1,100 was announced this week."
Also on the 3rd, Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team won the main prizes in a competition organised by the British Fire Services Association which was held on the BICC sports ground in Helsby. The 10-man Sutton Manor team beat 24 other colliery teams from the North West and came away with seven trophies.
And finally, on the 4th the ABC Savoy began a double-bill of James Bond films, showing 'The Man With the Golden Gun' and 'Live and Let Die'. And the Capitol had for one-day only a screening of 'Concert For Bangladesh'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Turkish bath temperatures on buses, the drowning in the Hotties, the rising cost of vegetables, the 70 schoolchildren forced to walk 7 miles home and the fuss when a girl gets a job as a printing apprentice.
We begin on the 30th when the Brotherhood of Man was in concert at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. Three months earlier the foursome had won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Save Your Kisses for Me'.
I've always felt that if people write letters to newspapers they should state their name. However, there is a very long tradition of anonymity when corresponding with St Helens papers and after what John Thompson experienced when his letter was published in the St Helens Reporter, I doubt he ever gave his name and address again when writing to a newspaper.
In fact after Councillor Jack Morris turned up at his Grange Park home to discuss the contents of his letter, the 67-year-old former council worker probably kept well away from letter-writing! According to Mr Thompson, the councillor was angry about his missive that had been published in this week's paper that was published on the 2nd. He claimed that Cllr Morris had threatened him and would not leave his house until he told him he would call the police.
"He seemed emotionally unstable," Mr Thompson said, "and started waving a rolled up newspaper in front of my face. Then he said: ‘Any more of this letter writing to the Reporter and I'll do you.’" However, Councillor Morris – who was also a magistrate – completely denied threatening Mr Thompson who had a heart condition, saying: "I did not say ‘any more of this or I'll do you.’ That's complete lies. I am not an aggressive person."
Instead the councillor claimed that it was Mr Thompson who had been abusive and he said he couldn't repeat the words that he had used and at no time had the man threatened to call the police. Whichever story was the correct one, there is no doubt that the councillor electing to turn up at Mr Thompson's door over his letter being published in the paper was a rather foolish thing to have done.
Terence's brother Denis, of Houghtons Lane in Eccleston, was becoming the new boss of Lennons. The retiring chairman, who lived in Kingsley Road in Dentons Green, still held 4 million shares and was being retained as a consultant to the group and was also expected to become its honorary president.
The Reporter also described how a wandering peacock called Albert had returned to its home in Crawford after "leading his owners a merry dance all over Rainford for nearly a week". Albert was finally captured in an Arnian Road garage in the village.
As a result of a national Gallup survey that an ice-cream firm had commissioned which revealed that parents were cutting down on their children's pocket money to save on household spending, the Reporter had undertaken its own research. The paper questioned a selection of 5 to 7-year-olds to see what they thought.
Scott Taylor of Nuttall Street revealed that he received 10 pence on pay day with a daily bonus of five pence worth of sweets and "the occasional odd copper". Upon being questioned why he didn't receive his pocket money in one go, the six-year-old replied: "I'd spend it all at once." And Debbie Lowe of Knowles House Avenue in Eccleston said she received 10p every day which was spent at the sweet shop.
The Reporter described how CAMRA had produced a booklet listing over 200 pubs on Merseyside that served real ale. St Helens had eleven houses included, although few still exist. The 11 listed were:
The Phoenix (Canal Street), the Queen's Head (Parr), the Royal Alfred (Shaw Street), the Talbot (Talbot Street), Turks Head (Cooper Street), Union Tavern (Hall Street), Park Hotel (North Road), the New Inn (Marshalls Cross Road), the Coppersmiths Arms (Watery Lane), the Bull's Head (Parr) and the Vine Tavern (Elephant Lane). All but one of these was a Boddingtons pub.
The genesis of Willow Tree Primary School off Leach Lane was featured in the Reporter's coverage of council planning applications. The school was going to be built on what was described as Port Willow Farm in Sutton Leach. Building work was expected to begin in March 1977 and it would eventually cater for 560 pupils.
The Reporter described how drinking problems in St Helens had reached record levels. Sixty alcoholics had been treated at the Hardshaw Street Clinic last year. That was a rise of over 10% but was thought to only scratch the surface of the issue. As part of a nationwide campaign, voluntary counsellors were being trained and Merseyside, along with two other regions, had been chosen for a year-long pilot project to try and address the growing problem.
The Cowley Gala took place on the 3rd in Hard Lane. The highlight was an International Circus and there was also an army display, pet show, war games, five-a-side football, fencing exhibitions, Morris dancing, model T Ford rides, band concert, target golf and sideshows. Admission for adults was 20p but children were allowed in free and were able to enjoy what was described as a cartoon festival, teddy bears picnic and magicians.
The Radio City Allstars XI also made an appearance, presumably playing a football match. The Reporter subsequently wrote: "Saturday's annual Cowley School Gala was an all-round record-breaker. A record crowd attended the fun and games at Hard Lane in blazing sunshine, and a record profit of £1,100 was announced this week."
Also on the 3rd, Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team won the main prizes in a competition organised by the British Fire Services Association which was held on the BICC sports ground in Helsby. The 10-man Sutton Manor team beat 24 other colliery teams from the North West and came away with seven trophies.
And finally, on the 4th the ABC Savoy began a double-bill of James Bond films, showing 'The Man With the Golden Gun' and 'Live and Let Die'. And the Capitol had for one-day only a screening of 'Concert For Bangladesh'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Turkish bath temperatures on buses, the drowning in the Hotties, the rising cost of vegetables, the 70 schoolchildren forced to walk 7 miles home and the fuss when a girl gets a job as a printing apprentice.
This week's many stories include the eleven CAMRA pubs in St Helens, the new school planned for Sutton, the Cowley Gala takes place, Terence Lennon quits his supermarket group and the row in Grange Park when an angry councillor turned up at a letterwriter's door.
We begin on the 30th when the Brotherhood of Man was in concert at the Theatre Royal in St Helens.
Three months earlier the foursome had won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Save Your Kisses for Me'.
I've always felt that if people write letters to newspapers they should state their name.
However, there is a very long tradition of anonymity when corresponding with St Helens papers and after what John Thompson experienced when his letter was published in the St Helens Reporter, I doubt he ever gave his name and address again when writing to a newspaper.
In fact after Councillor Jack Morris turned up at his Grange Park home to discuss the contents of his letter, the 67-year-old former council worker probably kept well away from letter-writing!
According to Mr Thompson, the councillor was angry about his missive that had been published in this week's paper that was published on the 2nd.
He claimed that Cllr Morris had threatened him and would not leave his house until he told him he would call the police.
"He seemed emotionally unstable," Mr Thompson said, "and started waving a rolled up newspaper in front of my face. Then he said: ‘Any more of this letter writing to the Reporter and I'll do you.’"
However, Councillor Morris – who was also a magistrate – completely denied threatening Mr Thompson who had a heart condition, saying:
"I did not say ‘any more of this or I'll do you.’ That's complete lies. I am not an aggressive person."
Instead the councillor claimed that it was Mr Thompson who had been abusive and he said he couldn't repeat the words that he had used and at no time had the man threatened to call the police.
Whichever story was the correct one, there is no doubt that the councillor electing to turn up at Mr Thompson's door over his letter being published in the paper was a rather foolish thing to have done.
The Reporter broke the news that supermarket boss Terence Lennon had resigned as chairman and chief executive of the Lennons Group at the age of 52.
The announcement coincided with the news that the food and drink empire had boosted its profits to £1.2 million.
Terence's brother Denis, of Houghtons Lane in Eccleston, was becoming the new boss of Lennons.
The retiring chairman, who lived in Kingsley Road in Dentons Green, still held 4 million shares and was being retained as a consultant to the group and was also expected to become its honorary president.
The Reporter also described how a wandering peacock called Albert had returned to its home in Crawford after "leading his owners a merry dance all over Rainford for nearly a week".
Albert was finally captured in an Arnian Road garage in the village.
As a result of a national Gallup survey that an ice-cream firm had commissioned which revealed that parents were cutting down on their children's pocket money to save on household spending, the Reporter had undertaken its own research.
The paper questioned a selection of 5 to 7-year-olds to see what they thought.
Scott Taylor of Nuttall Street revealed that he received 10 pence on pay day with a daily bonus of five pence worth of sweets and "the occasional odd copper".
Upon being questioned why he didn't receive his pocket money in one go, the six-year-old replied: "I'd spend it all at once."
And Debbie Lowe of Knowles House Avenue in Eccleston said she received 10p every day which was spent at the sweet shop.
The Reporter described how CAMRA had produced a booklet listing over 200 pubs on Merseyside that served real ale.
St Helens had eleven houses included, although few still exist. The 11 listed were:
The Phoenix (Canal Street), the Queen's Head (Parr), the Royal Alfred (Shaw Street), the Talbot (Talbot Street), Turks Head (Cooper Street), Union Tavern (Hall Street), Park Hotel (North Road), the New Inn (Marshalls Cross Road), the Coppersmiths Arms (Watery Lane), the Bull's Head (Parr) and the Vine Tavern (Elephant Lane).
All but one of these was a Boddingtons pub.
The genesis of Willow Tree Primary School off Leach Lane was featured in the Reporter's coverage of council planning applications.
The school was going to be built on what was described as Port Willow Farm in Sutton Leach.
Building work was expected to begin in March 1977 and it would eventually cater for 560 pupils.
The Reporter described how drinking problems in St Helens had reached record levels.
Sixty alcoholics had been treated at the Hardshaw Street Clinic last year. That was a rise of over 10% but was thought to only scratch the surface of the issue.
As part of a nationwide campaign, voluntary counsellors were being trained and Merseyside, along with two other regions, had been chosen for a year-long pilot project to try and address the growing problem.
The Cowley Gala took place on the 3rd in Hard Lane.
The highlight was an International Circus and there was also an army display, pet show, war games, five-a-side football, fencing exhibitions, Morris dancing, model T Ford rides, band concert, target golf and sideshows.
Admission for adults was 20p but children were allowed in free and were able to enjoy what was described as a cartoon festival, teddy bears picnic and magicians.
The Radio City Allstars XI also made an appearance, presumably playing a football match.
The Reporter subsequently wrote: "Saturday's annual Cowley School Gala was an all-round record-breaker. A record crowd attended the fun and games at Hard Lane in blazing sunshine, and a record profit of £1,100 was announced this week."
Also on the 3rd, Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team won the main prizes in a competition organised by the British Fire Services Association which was held on the BICC sports ground in Helsby.
The 10-man Sutton Manor team beat 24 other colliery teams from the North West and came away with seven trophies.
And finally, on the 4th the ABC Savoy began a double-bill of James Bond films, showing 'The Man With the Golden Gun' and 'Live and Let Die'.
And the Capitol had for one-day only a screening of 'Concert For Bangladesh'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Turkish bath temperatures on buses, the drowning in the Hotties, the rising cost of vegetables, the 70 schoolchildren forced to walk 7 miles home and the fuss when a girl gets a job as a printing apprentice.
We begin on the 30th when the Brotherhood of Man was in concert at the Theatre Royal in St Helens.
Three months earlier the foursome had won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Save Your Kisses for Me'.
I've always felt that if people write letters to newspapers they should state their name.
However, there is a very long tradition of anonymity when corresponding with St Helens papers and after what John Thompson experienced when his letter was published in the St Helens Reporter, I doubt he ever gave his name and address again when writing to a newspaper.
In fact after Councillor Jack Morris turned up at his Grange Park home to discuss the contents of his letter, the 67-year-old former council worker probably kept well away from letter-writing!
According to Mr Thompson, the councillor was angry about his missive that had been published in this week's paper that was published on the 2nd.
He claimed that Cllr Morris had threatened him and would not leave his house until he told him he would call the police.
"He seemed emotionally unstable," Mr Thompson said, "and started waving a rolled up newspaper in front of my face. Then he said: ‘Any more of this letter writing to the Reporter and I'll do you.’"
However, Councillor Morris – who was also a magistrate – completely denied threatening Mr Thompson who had a heart condition, saying:
"I did not say ‘any more of this or I'll do you.’ That's complete lies. I am not an aggressive person."
Instead the councillor claimed that it was Mr Thompson who had been abusive and he said he couldn't repeat the words that he had used and at no time had the man threatened to call the police.
Whichever story was the correct one, there is no doubt that the councillor electing to turn up at Mr Thompson's door over his letter being published in the paper was a rather foolish thing to have done.
The announcement coincided with the news that the food and drink empire had boosted its profits to £1.2 million.
Terence's brother Denis, of Houghtons Lane in Eccleston, was becoming the new boss of Lennons.
The retiring chairman, who lived in Kingsley Road in Dentons Green, still held 4 million shares and was being retained as a consultant to the group and was also expected to become its honorary president.
The Reporter also described how a wandering peacock called Albert had returned to its home in Crawford after "leading his owners a merry dance all over Rainford for nearly a week".
Albert was finally captured in an Arnian Road garage in the village.
As a result of a national Gallup survey that an ice-cream firm had commissioned which revealed that parents were cutting down on their children's pocket money to save on household spending, the Reporter had undertaken its own research.
The paper questioned a selection of 5 to 7-year-olds to see what they thought.
Scott Taylor of Nuttall Street revealed that he received 10 pence on pay day with a daily bonus of five pence worth of sweets and "the occasional odd copper".
Upon being questioned why he didn't receive his pocket money in one go, the six-year-old replied: "I'd spend it all at once."
And Debbie Lowe of Knowles House Avenue in Eccleston said she received 10p every day which was spent at the sweet shop.
The Reporter described how CAMRA had produced a booklet listing over 200 pubs on Merseyside that served real ale.
St Helens had eleven houses included, although few still exist. The 11 listed were:
The Phoenix (Canal Street), the Queen's Head (Parr), the Royal Alfred (Shaw Street), the Talbot (Talbot Street), Turks Head (Cooper Street), Union Tavern (Hall Street), Park Hotel (North Road), the New Inn (Marshalls Cross Road), the Coppersmiths Arms (Watery Lane), the Bull's Head (Parr) and the Vine Tavern (Elephant Lane).
All but one of these was a Boddingtons pub.
The genesis of Willow Tree Primary School off Leach Lane was featured in the Reporter's coverage of council planning applications.
The school was going to be built on what was described as Port Willow Farm in Sutton Leach.
Building work was expected to begin in March 1977 and it would eventually cater for 560 pupils.
The Reporter described how drinking problems in St Helens had reached record levels.
Sixty alcoholics had been treated at the Hardshaw Street Clinic last year. That was a rise of over 10% but was thought to only scratch the surface of the issue.
As part of a nationwide campaign, voluntary counsellors were being trained and Merseyside, along with two other regions, had been chosen for a year-long pilot project to try and address the growing problem.
The Cowley Gala took place on the 3rd in Hard Lane.
The highlight was an International Circus and there was also an army display, pet show, war games, five-a-side football, fencing exhibitions, Morris dancing, model T Ford rides, band concert, target golf and sideshows.
Admission for adults was 20p but children were allowed in free and were able to enjoy what was described as a cartoon festival, teddy bears picnic and magicians.
The Radio City Allstars XI also made an appearance, presumably playing a football match.
The Reporter subsequently wrote: "Saturday's annual Cowley School Gala was an all-round record-breaker. A record crowd attended the fun and games at Hard Lane in blazing sunshine, and a record profit of £1,100 was announced this week."
Also on the 3rd, Sutton Manor Colliery's fire-fighting team won the main prizes in a competition organised by the British Fire Services Association which was held on the BICC sports ground in Helsby.
The 10-man Sutton Manor team beat 24 other colliery teams from the North West and came away with seven trophies.
And finally, on the 4th the ABC Savoy began a double-bill of James Bond films, showing 'The Man With the Golden Gun' and 'Live and Let Die'.
And the Capitol had for one-day only a screening of 'Concert For Bangladesh'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Turkish bath temperatures on buses, the drowning in the Hotties, the rising cost of vegetables, the 70 schoolchildren forced to walk 7 miles home and the fuss when a girl gets a job as a printing apprentice.