Forgotten briefcase sparked bomb scare at police station
Welcome to Remember When, our weekly delve into the Advertiser archives to see what was making headlines 25, 30, 35, 40 and 50 years ago this week. You can also take a look into the past by visiting our online archives at baylismediaarchive.co.uk
1971: Pupils at Holyport Primary School were helping Gladys Himmons cook as she prepared a giant Christmas pudding.
1981: Father Christmas rang a bell to pull in the crowds at Alwyn and Courthouse Schools’ toy fair.
The fair, which was held at Courthouse Junior School, raised about £1,000.
A variety of stalls were set up in the main hall, laden with secondhand toys, delicious looking cakes and a wide range of Christmas wares.
1991: A bomb scare at Maidenhead Police Station turned out to be a case of memory lapse.
Bomb squad officers and sniffer dogs rushed to the station after a briefcase was left on the counter.
Workers at Northern Telecom opposite were evacuated and hearings at the magistrates court next door came to an abrupt halt.
But police later got a call from a man in Penn, who said he thought he’d forgotten his briefcase at the station.
1991: Nicholsons Walk shopping
centre sparkled as a cascade of balloons accompanied the switching on of the precinct’s Christmas lights.
Even Father Christmas took time out from his busy schedule to drop in from Lapland in a reindeer-drawn sleigh.
1996: Nick the border collie attracted the attention of media outlets across the country for his unusual skill – herding turkeys.
The two-year-old Cookham hound broke with the usual sheep-herding tradition for his breed and was working at Lower Mount Farm.
“We have free-range turkeys and have to put them away at night because of threat from foxes and poachers,” said Copas’ turkey unit manager Nik Miles.
“Previously I needed two people to help do that job. Then I thought if a border collie can round sheep up, could it round up turkeys?”
1996: An evening of madcap antics boosted the Tiser’s Christmas Cracker Appeal by £2,000.
Nine teams from the Royal Borough, MDA Foods, Wyeth Laboratories, Maidenhead Housing Association, Hitachi, Magnet and the Tiser took on the Cracker
Sporting Challenge at the Magnet.
1996: The Duke of Edinburgh was in Maidenhead to officially open the flagship HQ of one of Maidenhead’s largest employers.
Prince Philip was at Maidenhead Office Park, where the Canadian telecommunications giant Nortel had made its new home.