The last parade and news of our big birthday...
●●10 years ago ROCHDALE’S Royal Artillery Veterans’ Association marched its last parade.
The only two surviving members decided to wind up the association after 26 years.
Founder member Ernest Preston, 69, and standard bearer Alan Brooking, 85, organised a short service at St Chad’s Church followed by a parade along Drake Street to mark the end of the group.
Mr Preston said: “We tried to keep going for as long as possible in honour of the people who had passed away, but in the end it just wasn’t practical for two people to carry on.” THE Observer joined forces with Touchstones to celebrate the paper’s 150th anniversary.
The Esplanade museum held an exhibition looking back at a century-and-ahalf of local reporting.
Museums officer David Pugh spent months digging through the Observer archives alongside deputy editor Chris Lloyd and editorial director Richard Catlow to put the display together. LITTLEBOROUGH fire station welcomed four new volunteer recruits.
In their day jobs Robert Chew, Mark Walsh, Phil Greenwood and Kyle Banks took on ordinary tasks like electrical repair.
But in their spare time they were life-savers.
The Whitelees Road station is still one of just a few in the region to be run entirely by volunteers.
Mark Lord, a swimming coach turned crew manager, said: “Our recruits are all local tradesmen. They are very keen and have shown a big commitment to the job.” A MAP eating camel and a disappearing angel took centre stage at Bamford Chapel for a hilarious nativity play.
Angel at Large was performed by the chapel’s amateur dramatics group, Food for Thought and Friends.
Producer Joanne Shaw said: “This pantomime was fun for all the family. There was lots of booing directed at King Herod and plenty of laughs as well.” COMING face-to-face with his boyhood hero didn’t quite pan out how Craig Stelnicki imagined it would.
His band Al!ve had just completed a support slot with the Stone Roses legend when the man himself dropped by to say hello.
But bass player Craig, 25, from Shawclough, was too stunned to maintain an air of rock star cool.
He told the Observer: “I grew up on the Stone Roses so when I got to meet him I was like a big kid. But he was a really nice guy and supporting him was unbelievable.” CHRISTMAS came early for Littleborough Community School pupils as they shared a stage with a world-renowned brass band.
The pupils performed with Versatile Brass at a concert at Holy Trinity Church in Littleborough.
Deputy head Lynette Windslow said: “We were a bit nervous before because we didn’t have chance to rehearse with the group beforehand, but the children really rose to the occasion.”