Bill Steel stepped down as chairman of Barow's Abbey Musical Society after 32 years.

Barrow's new £2.5m lifeboat Grace Dixon was put through its paces on the River Thames, with the Houses of Parliament forming a backdrop. It was be be the first of the new Tamar class boats in the North of England.

St Mary's Church, Dalton, secured a £114,000 grant towards a major repair project. The cash came from Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund which was set up to reduce the impact of aggregate extraction on communities.

Party leader David Cameron said any future Conservative government would build submarines to replace the Trident nuclear deterrent in Barrow.

25 YEARS AGO

Parents were fighting plans to pit a double-decker bus on the school run from Broughton to John Ruskin School at Coniston. Parish councillors supported the protest against Cumberland Motor Services and said the narrow route was not suitable.

Askam and Ireleth Parish Council was to buy an empty Scout hut as part of a wider scheme to develop a sports area in Sandy Lane.

Trade and Industry Secretary Michael Heseltine was to visit Barow to launch the Cumbria Marketing Initiative at Forum 28.

Barrow hovercraft enthusiasts were building their own craft at an evening class. They were given a demonstration on Walney by members of the North West branch of the Hovercraft Club of Great BRitain.

50 YEARS AGO

YOU could earn up to £735 per year as a laboratory assistant in Barrow secondary schools under the control of the Barrow Education Committee.

South Cumberland Water Board gave the go-ahead for a scheme to take 6m gallons of water per day from Ennerdale Water. The scheme would cost an estimated £338,000.

A 12-month-old Ford Zodiac saloon car was being offered for sale for £730 at R.W. Symons at the Abbey Road Garage, Barrow.

Dalton fire brigade planned to visit 500 detached houses on the fridges of the town to offer fire prevention advice.