February 21, 1903: THE strange behaviour of a cow in St George's-rd. late on Tuesday afternoon was the cause of considerable commotion, and at the same time much amusement.

The animal was being driven through St. George's-rd., when, it is supposed, it became alarmed by the traffic, for, turning round, it darted through the doorway of a shop and proceeded to make its way up two flights of stairs and along the corridor leading to the business establishment of Miss C. Mendel, dressmaker and costumier.

One of the young ladies engaged there was terrified to see the beast advancing towards her, the climb of the stairs apparently presenting no difficulty to it. Naturally, she beat a very hasty retreat into the bathroom, barring the door before the cow could reach her.

Meanwhile, the drover, who had promptly followed his straying charge, headed it off, and it was induced to descend the stairs and again enter the street with no further damage than some broken bannister rails.

February 21, 1953: SINCE a recent story in the Evening News of the Bolton roller hockey team playing in the Lancashire League, many members of the "older generation" have recalled with enthusiasm the days before the first world war when, during a roller skating boom, Bolton had two roller hockey teams and Farnworth one.

In 1910, roller skating was extremely popular among Boltonians, and at the two large rinks - the Olympia, Spa-rd., and Fern Park, Chorley New-rd. at the corner of Tudor-ave - crowds of people gathered to watch teams from Bolton and surrounding districts play roller hockey, or as it was more often called "rink hockey".

February 21, 1978: THIEVES have sewn an arm off a bronze statue at a Bolton park. The statue, a figure of a young girl, is part of an ornamental fountain near Queens Park conservatory. The raiders had also tried to hack off the head of the statue, which bears the date 1880.

BOLTON Sports Council has condemned the proposed super-sport plan for a £2 million sixth form college on Spa Road as "totally inadequate" for the sporting needs of the town, even though features would include a "family leisure pool", a teaching pool, a sports hall including four badminton courts, four squash courts and bar a catering facilities.

February 20, 1993: TWO birds of prey have been snatched in a break-in at Horwich Wildlife Hospital. One is a buzzard which had been taken in only 24 hours earlier. And the other is a kestrel which was unable to fly because of a serious wing injury. Tom Morris, who runs the hospital in Vale Avenue, says he fears both birds will die unless the thieves know exactly how to feed and care for them.

A "NEWT CITY" could stop a controversial opencast coal mine on the Bolton-Bury border. Wildlife protectors claim that the former Bury Road Colliery at Bradley Fold contains the third most important great crested newt breeding ponds in Greater Manchester, and hope that the information gathered will help in the fight to prevent the mining.