MYSTIC MEG: Within the next ten years Fairfield General Hospital would become Bury's main hospital if the Area Health Authority was to cope effectively with an expected increase in the population of the borough.

PAT ON THE BACK: Bury firemen tackled one of their most sticky jobs... freeing an 11cwt cow from a drainage well. Along with local RSPCA inspector Brian Oxley, the rescuers fought for almost four hours in a cold wind and driving rain to haul the tired beast from the well at Lower Brandlesholme Farm, Bury. The firefighters even tried to free Sally the cow with a block and tackle but finally triumphed after digging away the wall of the well and levering her out with a ladder. CASH FOR ANSWERS: Greenmount housewife and expectant mum Susan Cuthbertson was offered a reward for information leading to the return of her engagement ring and other treasured possessions, worth over £1,200, stolen in a raid on her Holcombe Road home.

CHESS ROOKIES: Promising young chess players from schools throughout the borough pitted their wits against one of the country's most outstanding players, Jeff Horner, in a simultaneous chess display at Wellington Secondary School. Mr Horner took on 38 opponents all at the same time, losing just two games.

SWAN LAKE: They came, they saw, they paddled, and with characteristic elegance they flew away. Three mute swans made their debut at the central lake in Bury's Townside Field for a "one night stand" as they took a break from their migratory route.

BURY IN BOOM: Bury was Greater Manchester's population boom town, according to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, and was the third fastest growing metropolitan county district in England.

AND THEY'RE OFF: A mother and her 16 month old son were taken to Bury General Hospital after a runaway pony leapt on the bonnet of their car. Peggy the pony bolted from its stable in Lomax Street, Bury, and collided with the car travelling down Moorside Crescent. Mrs Louise Upton and her son Marcus, from Bolton, were allowed home after treatment. Peggy suffered a gashed leg in her bid for freedom.