ALMOST 50 years ago the national spotlight was fixed on a group of six Glaxo colleagues as they made a pioneering walk across the Morecambe Bay to Ulverston.

Look North TV and newspaper cameras were keen to record their progress and a tray of pint beer glasses waited at the finish of a 15-mile expedition across the sands on June 17 in 1966.

It was the first time in living memory that anyone had followed this particular route.

The Daily Mail reporter Clive Thomas noted: "Six men last night walked 15 miles across the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay - from Bolton-le-Sands to Ulverston - for the first time anyone could remember.

"A crowd cheered as they walked off the beach and downed six foaming pints of beer.

"Wearing shorts and brightly-coloured shirts that would attract notice if they were in difficulties, the party made the crossing in four hours 10 minutes, reaching Ulverston an hour before the dangerous tide swept in.

"At one stage they waded in water chest-high while fording the River Kent estuary."

The six to make the crossing were Harry Butcher, Ted Martin, Jack Manning, Billy Walker, Jack Willacy and Jim Croskery.

Mr Croskery, now 80, of Yewdale Avenue, Barrow, said, there was no fitness programme to get into shape for the challenge.

He said "We did no preparation whatsoever. We just went."

The only casualty was Mr Croskery's shoes, sucked off while crossing the Kent.

He had top do much of the walk with his feet wrapped in plastic sheet to protect against the ridged sand.

The six process workers were all on the same shift at Glaxo and did the walk on their day off.

A few others had been keen to join them, including a dog walker and a bloke on a bicycle with no tyres - they got left behind as the walkers made a quick start to avoid all the reporters.

There was some talk of repeating the bay crossing with a horse and coach - like the old days when the sands route was used for passenger services.

He said: "We were going to do a lot of things after that."

They did find a suitable coach but the owner pulled out.

The walk had started at 3pm and ended at 7.10pm outside the Bay Horse Inn where Glaxo shift foreman Bill Gooderam was waiting the the celebration drinks