PARK LIFE: A pitched battle took place at Manchester Road Park between stone-throwing gangs from rival schools. The fight was the latest in a series of vandal attacks by pupils who were running wild in the park in their lunch-time break. One park building was completely destroyed, eight windows had been smashed in another and trees and shrubs uprooted.

VANDALS STOP PLAY: A Bury minister banned children from playing in his church car park becaus of vandalism. A series of attacks on the Bethesda Pentecostal Church over the past year cost the Parkhills Road church over £500 in repairs. The last straw came when vandals tried to set fire to the cellar. The church was planning to builder higher walls and fortify its premises to keep out children.

CASH GIFT: Four Bury Venture Scouts were refused a grant towards the cost of a visit to the United States bi-centennial celebrations received a cash boost from an American owned textile firm in the town. Deering and Milliken Ltd of Wellington Street, read in the Bury Times that an application for a grant had been turned down by Bury's education committee and decided to contribute £100 towards the trip.

HORSE PLAY: A sleepy Hawkshaw man had a shock when he opened his door to find a horse fast asleep on his front lawn. Honey, a five years old part Arab mare, had got out of her stable and gone for a midnight trot. And as she wandered up Hawkshaw Lane enjoying the night air she took an instant fancy to Richard Ferguson's comfortable-looking lush front lawn at Higher Lane Farm. FOUR GOAL FLOURISH: Two top class saves in the space of a couple of seconds prevented Bury equalling their best scoring feat of the season in a one-side game against Rotherham United. Result: 4-0. Lancashire and India Test cricketer Farokh Engineer was the opener of Bibby and Baron Sports Club's spring fair in 1976.

Farokh took along his wife Sherry and daughters Minnie (8) and Tina (4).

The family were joined by 400 people at the fair. With them was Finn, another celebrity. The giant Irish wolfhound was named as Manchester's biggest dog following a competition in conjunction with the showing of the classic movie, Digby, The Biggest Dog in the World. The dog weighed in at 14st 12lbs.