From the Evening News, April 9, 1903: THE Mayor of Newcastle, presiding at the annual meeting of the Newcastle Branch of the Lord's Day Observance Society, said Sunday desecration was becoming a formidable evil in our midst.

The upper classes, who ought to know better, and had no excuse for their conduct, by the introduction of what they were pleased to call Saturday-to-Monday visits to country houses, were lending themselves very much to Sabbath desecration and inattention to religious work and service. He had spent the previous Sunday in a small Yorkshire town, and he noticed 12 motor cars, all ranged in file in front of the main entrance to the hotel. He went to morning service at church, and when he returned to the hotel, he saw a large number of ladies and gentlemen partaking of luncheon. They then cleared out and came back at five o'clock.

He asked the hotel manager what all those people were doing there, and was told they had come from Leeds and Bradford to play golf. (Sensation).

It was a thing to his mind perfectly alarming and distressing.

From the Evening News, April 9, 1993

A PIG rescue society could be for the chop because of council planning rules. Two years ago Mavis Harrison started using her Prestolee smallholding to look after unwanted designer pets - Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs. Mavis has lived in a caravan with her family on the Maple Stump site for three years. She now has six pigs and two rescued cruelty case ponies, but an enforcement notice from Bolton Council has arrived ordering her to clear the land within six months, because she is in breach of planning regulations. A local petition has been started to save the animal sanctuary.

From the Evening News, April 8, 1978

BOLTON'S economy took its second knock within a week when 93 workers at the Northgate Group's garment factory at Eagley Mills were told the plant is to close. This follows the announcement on Tuesday of 536 job loss at Tootal's Sunnyside Mills, Bolton.

THE Conservatives today outlined stringent policies designed to control immigration. These include a quota system and other measures to control the entry of relatives and male fiances, and extra help for those immigrants who wish to leave Britain. But the idea of compulsory repatriation is not countenanced.

From the Evening News, April 9, 1953

HOW long is it since Albert Shepherd played for England against Scotland? asks a reader. He played centre forward against Scotland in 1906, and against Ireland in 1911, the latter after his transfer to Newcastle. He died at his home in Bolton on Nov. 8th, 1929.

He was signed by Bolton Wanderers at a wage of 12s 6d (62p), with a promise of £2 10s (£2.50) if he got into the League team, but before he achieved that ambition he was loaned to St Luke's. He was invited to rejoin the Wanderers, and played his first League game against Gainsborough Trinity on Nov. 5th, 1904, when he was 19.

The present England leader is thus the third of a trio of great local centre forwards: Shepherd, Lawton and Lofthouse.