From the Evening News, July 26, 1976

25 YEARS AGO

BLOOMING Bolton is the North-west's "floral city" - and that's official. The borough has won the regional city category of the Britain in Bloom competition, and will now now continue its battle of flowers in the English finals.

LONE loo-sitter Steve Simpson, continued his fund-raising marathon today despite looking a little bog-eyed from lack of sleep. Steve, who is attempting to set a world record for "Sitting on the Lavatory", and raising money to equip the new pavilion at Edgworth Cricket Club at the same time, had lasted 36 hours by lunchtime today, and was still going strong.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, July 26, 1951

WHEN quads were born to a Little Lever mother at Bolton District General Hospital, the hospital suddenly achieved world fame. Articles in the Press praised the skill of the medical staff who attended the mother and the first-class conditions at the hospital.

But while the occasion served to draw public attention to the work of the hospital, it was not news to many local families that treatment available there was comparable with the best the world could offer. Last year, 1,750 babies were born at the hospital.

The hospital caters for many other people in addition to mothers. Last year, for instance, there were 7,000 in-patients in addition to the babies born. On visiting nights it is estimated that between 600 and 700 local people go to the hospital to see patients, making the total number of people in the hospital, including staff, about 1,500.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, July 26, 1876

LETTERS received on Tuesday evening from Zanzibar announce that at length news has been received from Stanley. He narrates numerous hazardous exploits and has suffered from fever; but, writing from Ujiji, whither he had arrived, he states that he had determined to carry on his explorations another year before returning to Zanzibar. A revolt against the Sultan of Zanzibar had broken out among the tribes in the interior consequent on his last proclamation declaring slave-catching illegal.

Two thousand slaves detained for the Kilwa market had been turned aside to avoid confiscation, and were being sold at an alarming sacrifice to farm owners.

The Church Missionary Society's expedition into the interior had returned, being prevented from proceeding up the Wanie by that river being found nearly dry. Lieutenant Smith was prostrate from fever, but recovering. The London's boats had captured two dhows with 50 slaves,

The weather has been stormy, and two of the London's boats had been lost. The Sultan of Zanzibar has attempted to import five additional Circassian women by mail boat under the British flag, but the British India Company's agent declined to grant the passages for them, whereat the Sultan is indignant.