IT'S BEEN a century of change in Lancashire as, of course, in the rest of the world.

But a few things have been constant - we still enjoy a day at Blackpool and the Pleasure Beach; Pendle Hill still holds a strange fascination; soccer and Rugby League still attract thousands of fans and local folk are as friendly and welcoming as ever.

But two horrific world wars, the unemployment and hardship of the early Thirties, and the demise of the Lancashire cotton and mining industries have changed the face of the county beyond recognition.

As the Millennium approaches, The Journal, together with our Citizen Group of newspapers and the St Helens Star have produced two glossy 68-page This is Lancashire 2000 magazines celebrating the century and taking a brief look at life - and death - in Lancashire over the past 100 years.

This first part covers the century up to 1950. In the Autumn we will publish the second part which will bring us up to date.

The magazines will bring back many memories and are an ideal gift for friends and relatives who may now live well away from the Red Rose County in all the corners of the globe.

Copies of Part 1 are available from our office in Railway Road, Leigh, from Monday and some bookshops and newsagents and cost £1.50. Don't miss it!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.