HERE’S a few stories from the Barnsley Chronicle’s archives as they were reported back in February 1997.
HARD-UP Barnsley Council is appealing for help to save two of the town’s landmarks.
It says it cannot afford to repair the Oaks Disaster Memorial badly damaged by thieves over the weekend.
Nor can it spare the cash to halt the decline of 12th century Monk Bretton Priory.
The repair bill for the Oaks memorial is likely to be around £3,000 — six times the authority’s annual budget for maintenance of all the borough’s monuments.
Police believe the memorial was damaged when thieves tried to steal the heavy bronze angel statue.
It is the latest in a series of attacks on the memorial, erected in 1913 as a tribute to the rescue workers who tried to save the lives of the 361 miners who died in the 1866 Oaks Colliery explosion.
It now stands in a council storage depot and may never go back on display unless a benefactor is found.
The news comes in the week that Mayor elect, Coun Charlie Wraith, spoke of his concern at the decay of Monk Bretton Priory.
He says it is slowly being destroyed by vandals and is in desperate need of help.
“Youths are pulling it down bit by bit. It is very sad to see that amount of vandalism,” he said.
“Since English Heritage declared it an open site anyone can walk in and do as they wish.”
Now Barnsley Council is trying to persuade English Heritage to take it back as a protected site.
PUB landlords who organise illegal bingo and race nights are risking their licences. warn police.
The gambling nights — aimed at drawing in drinkers — breach both licensing and gaming laws.
And publicans were told at the annual licensing magistrates meeting on Tuesday that anyone offering them could be prosecuted and might lose their licence.
LOS Angeles students are to be told the Bard is fun — in a lecture conducted more than 6,000 miles away in Barnsley.
Barnsley College director David Eade’s lecture will be beamed across the Atlantic by video equipment to the American city’s Harbor College.
It is the first time a live TV linkup between the two colleges has taken place.
About 70 Barnsley College English literature, English language and humanities students will be present at the screening from the New Electric Theatre Studio at the college.
It is planned to use the link to beam things like amateur dramatic productions between the colleges.
UNDERAGE drinkers are managing to buy booze by using forged ID cards.
Police are warning publicans to be on the lookout for the forged proof of age cards after some had photographs and dates of birth altered.
At the annual licensing magistrates meeting Chief Inspector Tony Bradshaw said: “The majority of licensees are co-operating with us to deal with this problem.
“The cards were introduced to help over 18s who look young for their age. But unfortunately, they are being abused occasionally.
“We must now ask licensees to be extra vigilant for forgeries.”
DRINKERS in the Vatican will soon be supping beer from bottles made in Barnsley.
Brewers Fuller Smith and Turner are supplying London Pride and Golden Pride ales to Vatican City in bottles produced by Beatson Clark.
“It remains to be seen whether the Pope himself will become a convert to British beer,” said sales and marketing director Peter Moran.
