Remember When: When Mary had a little lamb and the outdoor pool closed for good

Welcome to Remember When, our weekly delve into the Advertiser archives to see what was making headlines, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years ago this week.

If you recognise your younger self in any of the pictures please get in touch to share your memories by emailing news@baylismedia.co.uk 

1979: Johnny the lamb found a surrogate mother in the shape of Mary Harman, from Moneyrow Green.

The mother of the lamb died shortly after giving birth and Mary, whose husband worked as a farmer at Oak Tree Farm, took on the duty of bottle feeding the newborn.

“He follows me everywhere,” said Mary.

1984: Two teenage boys struggled through choking smoke to search for an elderly lady and a dog when a fire broke out in a 400-year-old cottage in Cookham High Street.

Neil Soden and Sean Reddy, both 15, saved the life of Bodger, a three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier. The elderly owner of the cottage, it transpired, was not in the building at the time.

The boys faced a barrage of questions from police after being identified as potential arson suspects but were cleared an hour later when the owner’s nephew explained the contents of the room in which the fire had started were disarranged because it was being decorated. 

1984: The district council put itself on show with a series of open days at Maidenhead Town Hall and Windsor Guildhall.

Display stands and videos covering many aspects of the council’s work were set up, while schoolchildren got the chance to inspect some items in the borough’s historical collection.

1984: A six-mile sponsored dray pull by 32 customers at The George pub in Holyport raised nearly £1,000 for the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).

Four teams of eight propelled the one-ton dray in shifts from the Shire Horse Centre, Littlewick Green, to The George.

1989: Maidenhead’s much-loved outdoor swimming pool was shut for good (main picture).

For 52 years, it had attracted thousands of families during the summer months.

The district council announced that building work – which would form part of a £7m extension to the Magnet Leisure Centre – would start immediately. 

1989: The people of Marsh Lane, Taplow, rallied round with signs and placards in an effort to persuade Bucks County Council that a 40mph speed limit was urgently needed.

Some 40 residents turned out to campaign, including grandparents, parents, children and a horserider who had had a near miss when being overtaken by a car.

The county council said a speed check would soon be made on the road.

1994: The Duke of Edinburgh was among 160 guests at a gala dinner held by People to Places at the Oakley Court Hotel.

People to Places, which organises a door-to-door transport service for the elderly and disabled, staged the event to thank its supporters.

The Duke was one of the charity’s earliest backers through the Prince Philip Trust.

1994: Inspector George Pugsley, of Boyn Hill, received a long service and good conduct medal in recognition of more than 22 years’ devotion to the force.

Inspector Pugsley was based at Slough at the time but had worked all over Berkshire since joining Thames Valley Police in 1971.

The medal was presented by Chief Constable Charles Pollard during a ceremony at the force training centre in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.