JOIN the Bury Times as we travel back 50 years to the headlines on April 5, 1969, when two churches, one new and one revitalised, and Bury's busiest ever Easter were the talk of the town. BRAD MARSHAL takes a look back in the archives...

A NEW town centre church is being planned which will bring together two congregations of Bury's oldest Nonconformist church.

The building will be called Bury Unitarian Church and will incorporate the congregations at Bank Street and Chesham.

However, the premises at Chesham have been sold and the present Bank Street Chapel will be demolished as part of the overall project.

It is expected that the new church will cost around £50,000 and will be built on modern lines with a design to fit in with the garden currently being laid out in Silver Street.

This year members of the Bank Street and Chesham churches are also celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Unitarian movement in Bury and celebrations have taken place alongside serious negotiations on future plans.

Ministers at the churches hope the move will further strengthen the Unitarian movement in Bury.

THE shinning new face of Bury was on show this week as the freshly sand-blasted Bury Parish Church was bathed in spring sunshine.

In all its original grandeur the edifice dominates the Market Place and the busiest road junction in the town.

The clean up was made possible through the generosity of Bury residents and industry.

ACROSS the borough residents and businesses are preparing for what looks set to be Bury's biggest Easter yet.

When members visit Bury Central Workingmen's Club tomorrow there will be a special entrance fee ­— an Easter egg.

The eggs will then be taken to Bury General Hospital on Monday to handed out to youngsters on the Children's Ward.

Around Bury sales of Easter eggs have boomed with some shop keepers reporting their best Easter ever.

Hot cross buns are keeping the bakeries busy and one town centre bakery has sold 10,000 this week.

In the build up to Easter rail and coach excursions are as usual being arranged to coastal and inland beauty spots.

All the the borough needs now to make the holiday a success is good weather.

PUPILS at a secondary school took their first outing on a new set of wheels which they had paid for themselves, this week.

The youngsters at East Ward Secondary Modern School had raised £330 to buy a school van and on Thursday 14 pupils took their maiden trip for a hike at Malham Cove and Tarn on the Pennine Way.

The van will be used for such outings as well as geological expeditions, sports events and similar journeys with transport problems.

Most of the cash to buy the van was raised by 100 pupils and the deputy mayor, Cllr F Spurr, who took £250 in sponsorship and donations when they made a 15-mile walk to Norden.

The rest came from activities such as bring and buy sales.