From the Evening News, May 15, 1992

A BOLTON primary school which advertised for a new caretaker, found itself swamped - by a dole queue.

For a staggering total of 234 people - almost all of them middle-aged, unemployed men - applied for the one post of caretaker at the 320-pupil St Mary's CE Primary, Deane. Headmistress Mrs Elizabeth Lee said: "We found the whole thing so depressing. We expected about 40 applications but certainly not so many people desperate to find a job that they actually brought in their letters by hand because they did not want to trust the post." In the end, the job went to a 49-years-old jobless local man.

COUNCILLORS have backed the police's fight to keep a Farnworth rave club at the centre of drug taking allegations, closed. Yesterday they refused to grant another late entertainment licence to the controversial Pleasure Drome Club.

25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, May 16, 1977

THE young British Army captain kidnapped on Saturday night has been executed, the IRA claimed today. They said they had killed Capt. Robert Nairac, 29, after he admitted being a member of the crack Special Air Service. An Army spokesman said: "The captain was definitely not an SAS man."

BOLTON'S health services are among the most deprived in Britain. In terms of revenue and capital they are ranked third lowest in the North-west, the most cash-starved region in the country.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, May 16, 1952

THE old higher grade school at High Style, Kearsley, now used as a factory, had its origin in an old charity founded by Henry Mather in 1752.

The indentures set forth that six pews in the gallery of the old Parish Church, at Bolton, and three cottages in Kearsley, were to be sold, and the proceeds placed in trust for the teaching of orphan children from Kearsley, Bolton, and Tong-with-Haulgh, in reading and writing and the tenets of the Church of England.

The charity was later increased in value by further gifts, and from being a charity school for orphans, the building was in its later Victoria day improved and used as a school for higher education on a non-charitable basis.

100 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, May 15, 1902

THE remarkable decision propounded by the Parliamentary Committee on the Liverpool Corporation Bill yesterday with regard to the proposed park at Rivington is necessarily conditional upon its acceptance by Mr Lever and the authorities at Liverpool, and ill their views on the matter are known it can have no finality.

Liverpool will naturally be sore at its failure to secure the rejection of the scheme for the formation of a public park within the sacred area of its watershed. The power of control given it to secure that the risk of pollution shall be reduced to a minimum must seem a poor second best, especially when accompanied by the obligation of laying it out and maintaining it for the use of people in whom it can feel no interest.

On the other hand, Mr Lever may well feel that though the essential end of securing a place of recreation for the people of his native town would be secured by the arrangement, it is one thing to make a present of the fee simple of the land to the Corporation of Bolton, and another to be required to hand it over to the Corporation of Liverpool.

The gratitude of Bolton to Mr Lever will, of course, be undiminished whatever the upshot.