10 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

December 4, 1999

BOLTON institute has scooped a highly prestigious award and again beaten some of the country’s leading universities.

The Institute’s technology department has won an award for engineering excellence just a day after securing praise from Government inspectors for the quality of its teaching.

The news supports the BEN’s campaign to secure university status for the Institute.

Yesterday, we appealed to Education Secretary David Blunkett to give Bolton Institute the recognition it deserves.

And at a ceremony in London, the Institute was awarded the TCS award for Engineering Excellence.

The award was made in recognition of the Institute’s work with Andel Ltd of Huddersfield and was the only non university entry out of seven finalists.

Professor Danny Morten, the associate dean of the Faculty of Technology said: “What great news for the Institute. It’s a huge achievement, especially to be recognised ahead of some of the country’s leading universities.

25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

December 4, 1984

POLICE today issued an urgent warning after a spate of fake £20 notes hit shopkeepers in Bolton.

Within the last week, 11 of the notes — described as reasonable quality — have been passed in and around the town. And there has been an even more worrying development — fake £50 notes.

Police as asking people to keep an eye out for the forgeries.

The £20 fakes are the most common. So far in the town only two of the £50’s have appeared and a few fake £10’s.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

December 4, 1959

A CALL for industry to play a bigger part in local government in Bolton was made by Mr. Arthur Holt, M.P., when he proposed the toast of the town and commerce of Bolton at the annual dinner of the Bolton Chamber of Commerce in the Town Hall last night.

“I know there are many other sides of the town’s life that are supported by industry,” Mr. Holt said, “but I suggest that perhaps nothing is now, in 1959 — and is going to be in the 10 to 20 years — quite so important as the local government aspect of life in this town.”

That the commerce of the town had great resilience had been shown by the remarkable way the people who had been thrown out of work in the cotton trade in the last few years had been absorbed by other virile, vital expanding industries.

Something like 2,700,000 spindles would have ceased to run by the end of March in Bolton and district.

Most of those 2,700,000 had already stopped by last April, yet we had not suffered the same amount of employment difficulty that some other towns had.

He thought that was a great compliment to the virility of industry generally in the town

100 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

December 4, 1909

Mr. H. M. Byrne, the Conservative candidate for the Westhoughton Division, paid a visit to the Smithills Conservative Club on Friday evening, and addressed a number of the members on political topics. Mr. J. C. Woods presided.

Mr Byrne said they were on the threshold of one of the most important and most momentous general elections that had taken place in this country within the last 50 years.

He hoped they would do a great deal more work than they would under ordinary circumstances.