NOSTALGIA: Looking back 10, 25, 50 years ago (published Gazette, Thursday, March 31)

10 YEARS AGO: Thursday, March 30, 2006

The curse of the Were-Rabbit has struck Felton. The village’s allotments are being devastated by a creature in a scenario with astonishing similarities to that in the latest Wallace and Gromit film. A large monster, said to be a cross between a rabbit and a hare and bigger than either, has been dining on holders’ prized vegetables by night – just as the Were-Rabbit does in the movie. The pest with a penchant for plants is black and brown with one ear bigger than the other. Boasting an exquisite palate, the beast has been ripping out and munching the tops off leeks, Japanese onions, parsnips and spring carrots at the Mouldshaugh Lane site. The 12 allotment holders have reached the end of their tether and have appointed two armed watchmen.

25 YEARS AGO: Friday, April 5, 1991

The manager of an Alnwick business which has twice been the victim of ram raiders in the past few weeks has called for the introduction of bollards to thwart the thieves. Mr David Sutherland, manager of Currys in Bondgate Within, which lost video recorders and hi-fi equipment when a stolen Vauxhall Astra was driven through one of the shop windows in the early hours of Tuesday morning said: “I think they would think twice about doing this sort of thing if there were cast iron bollards in the ground.” He confirmed that his company is looking into the problem at a number of vulnerable sites, including its Alnwick store, which has now been hit three times. Three weeks ago goods worth £4,900 were taken from the premises when thieves rammed the front door with a vehicle in a carbon copy of a raid last year.

50 YEARS AGO: Thursday, April 7, 1966

A call for concerted action towards blocking British Rail’s proposal to close Alnwick railway station to passenger traffic went out from Alnwick Urban Council on Tuesday night. The call was made by the chairman, Coun HIN Reavell, who listed 10 reasons why the town’s rail link with the nearby Alnmouth station should remain open. They are: Alnwick is the county town of Northumberland and therefore should have a proper rail service; It was accepted as being the natural central area for agricultural purposes; a teachers’ training college was established in the town; a light industrial estate had recently been established; new government buildings are to be erected; a considerable forestry programme is underway in the area with Alnwick as the centre of administration.