HERE’S a selection of stories as they were reported back in July 1969.

BARNSLEY’S first library, the Barnsley British Co-operative Society Lending Library in Wellington Street, which has been established in Barnsley since 1875, is to close on August 9.

General secretary of the society George Morrey JP, says the reason for the closure is that the library is to be converted into a staff training centre.

“We feel that the library has more or less served its purpose, and that the building could be put to more advantageous use, and, of course; to comply with the regulations of the Industrial Training Act, we have to open up a training centre in the town.”

THE Barnsley Joint Blind Welfare Committee headquarters in York Street were broken into on Monday night and £80 was stolen.

The money was in a steel cabin in the main office and the thief made his entry by forcing a catch on a window.

Organiser and secretary of the committee Mr P T Senior, said £50 of the money was the proceeds from a football match which was held between the George Best XI and the TV All Stars at Kendray on Sunday.

This money was to go towards the purchase of a guide dog for the blind.

BRIAN Ruddy, 44, shakes the best cocktails in the country and has been named champion cocktail shaker of Great Britain.

To prove it, he is going to Milan in November for the world championship. Also there

will be bartenders from places as far afield as Finland, America, Japan and Yugoslavia - in all, 22 of them.

Brian comes from Hoyland Common and was educated at Kirk Balk Secondary School. For the last 14 years he has been working as a bartender, and presently is head bartender at the Selby Fork Motel.

His specialist cocktail is the ‘Ross Royal’, named after the company which owns the motel and in honour of the Queen’s visit to Selby this year.

THE Duke and Duchess of St Albans have approved a one-man exhibition at their Upper Grosvenor Gallery in the West End of London for Barnsley painter Ashley Jackson.

Mr Jackson, 28, who has been painting professionally for six years, will stage the exhibition from August 13 to 30.

WEST Lodge at Cannon Hall Park, a three-bedroom 18th century cottage standing in three-and-a-hall acres of land, was sold by auction on Tuesday by the firm of Holroyd Sons and Pickersgill, of Dewsbury.

The auction realised a price of £9,500, but the name of the purchaser has not been released.

WITH her first appearance on stage, 18-year-old Josephine Walton walked off with Barnsley’s ‘most promising performer’ award at the weekend.

Josephine, who works for the Inland Revenue, won the award at Barnsley’s Amateur Theatre Guild festival held at the College of Technology.

Back home in Barnsley for a seven week holiday is Arthur Reed, a geography master at a Canadian secondary school.

A former head boy at Penistone Grammar School, Arthur, 25, whose parents live at Broadway, has been teaching at Prince George, British Columbia, for two years.