HERE’S a selection of stories as they appeared in the Chronicle in June 1980.
A FIREMAN was injured during a blaze which damaged Thoms Discount Centre in Barnsley town centre.
The fireman was taken to Barnsley Hospital with slight injuries to a hand, but returned
to the scene after treatment.
The fire, which started at about 8.30pm, severely damaged the roof and the offices
on the first floor of the former Butterfields and Massies store.
The sales area of the shop, which trades in soft toys and various other goods, was
affected by water and smoke. It is believed that the fire started in some rubbish stacked outside some fire doors in George Yard.
By the time the fire service had answered an automatic alarm, the blaze had rapidly spread.
Six pumps and one platform, along with a control unit and an emergency tender from
Barnsley, Royston, Hoyland and Brampton, were called out.
LYNN Hanson, the new National Colliery Officers Staff Association (COSA) Queen, is through to the finals of the National NUM Coal Queen competition - and on her way to a top modelling career.
Lynn, 18, of Richard Road, Darton, recently left her job as a registry clerk at Barnsley area NUM Headquarters to take up full-time modelling.
“I’ve worked for a number of national newspapers so far, and I have started training to keep myself in trim,” said Lynn. “It’s very hard work though, and at the moment I’m lifting weights — anyone would think I was training to be a wrestler.”
A BITTER BLOW was delivered to employees of David Brown Gear Industries Steel Foundry at Penistone with the news that a further major redundancy programme is to be embarked on.
About 325 jobs are expected to go in the cutbacks announced to shop stewards at a special meeting this week. Half of the 750 workforce was made redundant nearly two years ago, because of thin order books, and as the position nationally had not improved, further redundancies were expected.
But the news that 300 of the current 440 jobs were to go has shocked the men. “We expected about 100 or 150 jobs to go but never dreamed of so many, or so soon,” said an employee.
SCHOOL leavers in job-starved Barnsley are queuing up in droves at local pits — but there may not be enough jobs to go round.
Branch officials of the National Union of Mineworkers have been surprised by the number of youngsters applying for jobs.
“At my colliery, which is supposed to be one of the ’super’ pits, we have had to turn 70 youngsters away,” said one branch official. “It is heartbreaking to see them leaving the pit.
“Reports from other branch officials have also indicated that a lot of school-leavers are looking for jobs.”
