NOSTALGIA: Looking back 10, 25, 50 years ago (published Gazette, Thursday, March 3)

10 YEARS AGO: Thursday, March 9, 2006

Shoppers in Alnwick are right behind proposals to bring a discount supermarket to the town. The thumbs-up was given as Lidl held an open event at Alnwick’s Northumberland Hall last Thursday. Workers on their lunch break, students and mothers with buggies enjoyed a spread laid on by the German store and viewed plans for the proposed outlet on South Road. We joined the crowds viewing plans for the new store and sampling what Lidl has to offer and asked them: Do you support Lidl coming to Alnwick?

Susan Wood, of Amble, said: “We think it is an excellent idea. We do our shopping at Lidl in Ashington and it would bring us back to Alnwick.” Jayne Graham, of Lucker, is also already a Lidl shopper. She said: “I think it is a good idea. We use the one in Morpeth already.”

25 YEARS AGO: Friday, March 8, 1991

A Seahouses woman has received a belated birthday present of over half-a-million pounds – courtesy of a win on the pools. Pat Athey, who celebrated her 43rd birthday last Saturday, collected £593,306.75 from former football star Emlyn Hughes at Gosforth Park Hotel this week. Pat, a machinist at Pringle’s clothing factory at Berwick, was contacted at work on Monday by a representative of Littlewoods Pools and was told that she was a winner. She was not told the amount but was told that she would not have to work again if she did not want to. Pat explained that she had picked the same members every week for ten years but had no idea that she had scooped a share in the jackpot because she never checked her coupon. “I didn’t bother to check my coupon on Saturday because I worked overtime.”

50 YEARS AGO: Friday, March 11, 1966

Pre-general election stirrings within the political dovecotes of the Berwick and Morpeth Parliamentary Divisions are slowly crystallising into a steady hum of activity as the parties answer the call-to-arms. As yet, 20 days have to run their course before the electorate mark their voting papers but already as the wraps unwind from election plans it becomes increasingly clear that high pressure campaigns are in the offing. The headquarters of both the Conservative and Labour parties in the Berwick Division exude an air of quiet optimism. The Liberals, for whom a big vote will be a boost for the party throughout the country, take a more cautious view as to the outcome. “Naturally we hope to win but if we cannot do that we hope to cut the Conservative majority and edge into second place.”