What was making the news in the Newark Advertiser in 1924, 1974 and 1999
The Advertiser has opened its archives to see what was making the news this week 25, 50 and 100 years ago.
25 years ago – January 8, 1999
ABOVE: A Balderton-based cheerleading squad, the Blue Sapphires, has been invited back to Crystal Palace Football Club after making its first appearance there last month.
The 14 girls joined 86 other cheerleaders at Selhurst Park in London when the team played West Bromwich Albion.
They performed a pre-set routine before the 3pm kick-off and at half-time.
Pictured are Kate Sharman, Lauren Cloke, Kelly Green, Jane Francis, Nicola Dring, Rachel Hammond, Lucy Watson, Helen Payne and Sally Cooling.
• The admission of patients at Newark Hospital was halted when every bed was filled. Emergency cases were sent to other hospitals.
The hospital has been overwhelmed by cases brought on by the onset of winter flu, the flu epidemic and staff sickness.
• Newark will be getting a security camera system to combat thieves and vandals – and the scheme could be extended to Balderton.
Newark Chamber of Commerce and Newark and Sherwood District Council want to bring in the best system they can afford in October. The system's size will depend on the level of backing from the town’s traders.
• Shoppers joined a chase for a jewel thief who struck in Newark town centre.
Staff at Bettison’s Jewellers in The Arcade and police were also involved in the pursuit but the thief escaped with a £3,600 diamond ring.
• A family of illegal immigrants from Sri Lanka was arrested on the outskirts of Newark.
Police were tipped off by a motorist who saw them scrambling out of the back of a lorry in a layby on the A1 northbound near North Muskham.
In the past year around 90 illegal immigrants have been caught by police in Nottinghamshire, mainly on the A1 and M1.
50 years ago – January 12, 1974
ABOVE: Those in need of a new year tonic should have popped into Ransome Hoffmann Pollard’s children’s party when the looks of pleasure on 400 tiny faces would have restored the confidence of even the most hardened pessimist.
There were films, songs, gifts and a slap-up tea for the under-11s in the works canteen.
• Some schoolchildren will be home for an early tea during the power crisis in a bid to save electricity in schools.
An invitation to shorten dinner hours and leave earlier went out to headmasters at the beginning of term. Newark schools who have accepted including Barnby Road infants and juniors, Hawtonville Junior, Lovers’ Lane Primary, and Oliver Quibell Infants’.
• The new Newark District Council could save £30,000 a year on their refuse collection bill if they switched from dustbins to paper sacks.
A working party will visit a mining area where the paper sack system is in place to see how it works.
• Television is being screened in one Balderton home after 10.30pm.
Mr Steve Beeching, of Manners Road, who works at the Lincolnshire Educational Television Consortium headquarters, explains how he has beaten the ban.
“I have a video cassette recorder which enables me to record one channel while I watch the other.!
The recorder has been in use for two years but has been confined to educational and industrial fields.
• Beer so thick and rich “you could carry it to Newton without spilling a drop”. That was the secret behind the popularity of The Sedan Chair public house at North Scarle, which has closed its doors for the last time.
“That was what I tried to give folk – a real drink of beer and not the usual glass of bubbles you get these days,” said former landlord Mr Frank Wilcockson.
Frank is the last of the Wilcocksons to retire from the business.
100 years ago – January 9, 1924
The notorious Glaswegian extremist, Comrade George Buchanan MP, addressed a meeting of the Newark Independent Labour Party at Christ Church Schoolroom.
The speakers stood at the schoolmaster’s desk and there was plenty of room for the listeners, who were accommodated at the rows of desks in the front.
There was an atmosphere of ease, the tobacco was blown, there were one or two ladies, there were pamphlets for all, and several supporters failed to doff their hats, even in courtesy to their champions.
• Another earth tremor was felt in Southwell on Friday night.
Many residents were considerably alarmed about 10.40pm to feel beds move and ornaments rattle.
The peculiar thing about the tremor was again noticed that very few people downstairs felt the shock, yet children in bedrooms above were roused and cried out in alarm.
• An extraordinary meeting was held in North Collingham to again consider the question of lighting the lamps next winter.
It appears, owing to a misunderstanding, the council instead of asking for a stipulated sum for the purpose, took the unusual course of asking for a 3d rate to be levied.
This, it was afterwards discovered, would not produce sufficient money for lighting the whole of the winter months, hence a second meeting to rectify matters.
• Ill luck continues to attend the Newark Agricultural Show.
In consequence of either strikes or foot and mouth restrictions, only two shows have been held since the war and, as a result of the present cattle plague, this year’s fixture has been abandoned.
