West Country News
Looking back: Ten, 20 and 30 years ago
8:30pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
Ten years ago February 19, 2002 POLICE were backing the Mercury’s ‘Stop It’ campaign to highlight the drink and drug problems among youngsters.
The drive was prompted after details of the scale of substance abuse among schoolchildren was released in a crime survey compiled by the Safer Sedgemoor Partnership.
o EASTOVER residents in Bridgwater were rallying round in a bid to solve problems with parking in the area.
Families were fed-up with the constant battle for car parking spaces and Eastover Residents Association was pressing for action to solve the problem.
20 years ago February 25, 1992 ONE of Bridgwater’s biggest employers Gerber Manufacturing Ltd made 22 redundancies.
Finance direction Ronald Wunsch said the cuts were necessary due to the recession and that they were part of a ‘trimming operation.’ o BRIDGWATER’s Mayor Ken Richards was fighting plans to build an eight-bedroom hostel for the lonely and homeless.
The hostel would have been situated in the dockland area of the town and would have been the fifth of its kind in the Victoria Ward.
He said: “I’m not against housing these people, but I think we’ve had more than our fair share in this ward.”
30 years ago February 23, 1982 THE first apartment of Admiral’s Quay, Bridgwater Docks’ exciting housing development involving 126 units was thrown open to public inspection.
The building was part of a long-term plan for the revitalisation of the docks area in the hope that smaller boats will be able to navigate the Bridgwater to Taunton canal as far as the county town.
o BRIDGWATER Town FC were gearing up to face cash-strapped Bristol City in the quarter final of the Somerset Premier Cup.
Doubts over the fixture because of City’s financial position were dispelled when the managing director of Bridgwater Town, Tony Whitehead, had talks with club officials.
It was the first time that the two clubs had met.