October 22

Town Hall bosses have managed to fight off private competition and win a contract to maintain the towns parks and gardens, but have had to make massive savings. Top class gardeners have been downgraded, and all men, regardless of qualification, are now on the same pay scale. This has taken their basic pay down from £151 to £134 a week - but with bonuses, in summer, craftsmen have been previously able to earn £300 a week. However, the bonus scheme has now been cut.

25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

October 22, 1977

A RAIDER escaped with more than £4,000 in an attack on building society employees outside a Bolton bank last night. One male employee of the Bolton branch of the Nationwide Building Society was knocked down by the raider as he and his colleague were about to place the money into the night safe of the National Westminster Bank in Deansgate.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

October 22, 1952

BOLTON is described as a "boxing starved town" by a local boxing promoter, Mr C. Smith, who has written to the Entertainments Committee offering to stage boxing shows for charity in Bolton if a big enough hall can be found. He believes there would be a profit of £200 to £400 in a good bill.

The Committee, favourable to helping to stage professional boxing matches in the town, was not sure whether they could be staged indoors or whether they could promote boxing matches for charity, but members thought that matches might be held outdoors, possibly at Burnden Park, where there is adequate cover and suitable terracing.

100 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

October 22, 1902

THE venerable edifice known as Duke's Alley Independent Chapel, which was erected in 1754, is about to undergo a change. For nearly 150 years is has been a building devoted to the spreading of Independent or Congregational principles under various vicissitudes, the chief of which was when the church, as a body of Christians, removed from the old building to the Congregational Church in St George's-rd. For the past 20 years the Rev. Bailey J. Harker has been the pastor of the congregation who worshipped at the old sanctuary. Mr Harker has now resigned, and the building is to be converted into a Congregational Institute for the use of all Congregational churches of Bolton.

This is to be brought about through the instrumentality of Mr W.H. Lever, of Thornton Manor, whose family was for many years connected with Duke's Alley, and whose benefactions to the cause of local Congregationalism are well known.