From the Evening News, February 14, 1992

A MUCH-loved Bolton town centre toy shop has won the first round of its fight to stay in business. Council planning chiefs have turned down an application from the Leeds Permanent Building Society to extend its Oxford Street premises into family-run Boydell's next door. The building society owns the toy shop premises and wants to expand. But members of the development control sub-committee decided yesterday to throw the plan out.

25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, February 14, 1977

CHRISTOPHER Goodier's game of robots came unstuck in his school playground today when he got his knee fast behind a sewer pipe. For 15 minutes four-years-old Christopher sat on a school chair in the playground at Hob Lane School, School Lane, Edgworth, while 10 firemen eased his knee out from the four inch gap between the pipe and the school wall.

ABOUT 2,000 walkers stepped out on the Valentine's Walk in Queen's Park, Bolton, yesterday, to raise £2,500 for the Help the Aged charity.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, February 14, 1952

IN view of the topical subject of education cuts, it is interesting to reflect on the recent experience of a Bolton newsagent. That day's supply of papers had just arrived at the shop, and the agent was writing on the top margin of each copy the address to which each paper was to be delivered. Among the team of delivery boys waiting and watching was a lad of 15 who, on seeing the word Ploughman (clearly written) ejaculated "Eh, what's that tha's put?"

"Ploughman," replied the agent. "It's clear enough." And not only was the word spelt out slowly, but there also followed definitions of the words plough and ploughman.

"Oh," retorted the lad. "Ah thout tha'd wrote summat foreign."

100 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, February 14,1902

THE Farnworth tramways have now been open to traffic for a month, and the cars in that time have traversed 6,706 miles and carried 41,859 passengers. Of these, 20,404 have journeyed on the Kearsley to Moses Gate route. 19,853 on the Little Hulton to Moses Gate length and 1,602 on the Kearsley to Little Hulton length, which was discontinued after a week's trial. The passengers for the last completed week totalled 10, 243, and this week owing to frost-bound roads, the returns have been more satisfactory.

An accident happened to car No. 7 on Wednesday. The driver, Robert Branwell, was proceeding down Worsley-rd and when nearing the terminus saw a lorry belonging to Messrs Simpson and Co., mineral water manufacturers of Walkden, driven by three horses, approaching him at a good speed. He put on the brake, but the driver of the lorry, which was on the end of the tramway track, was unable to pull his horses clear, and the front of the car was smashed in. Unfortunately the driver and a man named William Lovatt, of 85, Worsley-rd were injured by the collision.