Saturday, September 3, 2005

100 years ago

There were nearly always pathetic cases of lost children at the large railway stations during the holiday season. At Scarborough station, the previous Saturday night, a small boy - a mere child - turned up between ten and eleven o'clock looking for his parents, from whom he had apparently been separated the whole day. He had been lost on reaching Scarborough in the morning and had wandered hither and thither during the day, looking for his parents without success. He ultimately found his way to the station, very much tired out and very hungry, as he had had no food. The kindly police officers on duty in the station gave him some food and encouraged him to keep up his spirits on the way home, to which he was despatched. Although travelling alone, he was wonderfully cheerful, and it was to be hoped he arrived at his home - in the Leeds or Wakefield districts - some time on the Sunday morning.

50 years ago

A tribute was paid to Rowntree and Company Ltd, as one of the first industrial establishments in Britain to have its own medical and dental departments for the benefit of employees. The article outlined the growth of the two welfare services since their inauguration in 1904. An average daily attendance of 250 was dealt with at the works surgery, which now that the National Health Service had come into being, was largely a service of preventive advice and prescriptions. The dental department now operated within the National Health Service and was staffed by a full-time dentist and two dental mechanics. A part-time optician, also operating under the National Health Service, attended in the medical department for two days a week, and there was a part-time chiropodist. The firm maintained a £5-bed convalescent home at Scarborough, to which employees in need of a change of air after sickness might be sent.

25 years ago

BBC TV's popular Watch With Mother series was to end after a run of 25 years. But many of the Children's favourites shown under the umbrella of Watch With Mother would be saved. The news came when the BBC announced its autumn and winter plans for children. Instead there would be a new "identity" for the Watch With Mother programme. Cynthia Felgate, executive producer of young children's programmes, said: "We are trying to replace a title with a symbol for very young viewers. Programmes will now go out under the symbol of a seesaw which replaces Watch With Mother." Among the series that were saved were The Mister Men, Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Bagpuss. Seesaw would also be commissioning new and inventive ideas from some of Britain's top cartoon animators.

Updated: 14:43 Friday, September 02, 2005