The bridge which got you to Seaton baths and grilled treats at Asters - it's Hartlepool news from 1983

We’ve delved into the Hartlepool Mail archives to find 9 stories which made the news 39 years ago. See how many you remember.

Thousands of people will remember walking over the steelworks bridge to get to Seaton baths.

But back in ‘83,pedestrians were stopped from using it amid fears that it was dangerous.

Roy Davies, who was Hartlepool’s Borough Engineer at the time, said the decision

had to be taken to close it because the local authority had received so many complaints about the state of the bridge.

Thirty members of High Tunstall Youth Club tackled a 14-hour disco dancing marathon to raise funds for the premature baby unit at Cameron Hospital.

But there was also a sense of triumph among the 15 to 18-year-olds who raised about £180.

The Manor School Wind Band was heading for the recording studios after winning its second major contest of the year. It planned to bring out a cassette tape and has just returned from Whitby where it beat all rivals in an annual festival.

Hartlepool chess king Jason Glass, 11, who goes to Lister Street Primary School, was one of 40 people chosen to play for England against Scotland.

Who remembers the super lounge in Asters on Seaton seafront?

It was the place to be in 1983 especially with its offering of charcoal grilled meals and dancing to all the latest sounds.

Or perhaps some of the other town spots were more your style, such as Foxys, Twins, Caspers or Gemini where Friday night was alternative night.

Twins was about to start its own funk and soul gigs while Caspers was boasting music which was raw and funky’.

More than 200 people turned out for the Blessing of the Fleet in the town in 1983.

But it would not be the last time they would witness the occasion.It was going to be held every year, officials announced.

Sunny weather greeted the crowds at the Fish Quay and the ceremony was carried out by the Rev George Howe.

The Masonic Hall held the third annual convention hosted by the Hartlepool Wargames Club. The event had become so popular that the attendance was expected to be double the numbers of the 1982 event.

A familiar landmark disappeared from Blackhall when NCB contractors pulled down the colliery southern winding wheel which stood for decades.

The work is one of a number of schemes in Blackhall where new industry is now taking over the former colliery site. Only a few old buildings and one remaining winding wheel was left in the village to carry out pumping work in 1983.

Farmers were having their worst Spring in living memory in 1983, union leaders claimed.

Rain was causing so many hold-ups that the situation was “desperate” in countryside around Hartlepool.

Regional spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union, Peter Williams, said more rain had fallen in the North-East that year than most farmers could remember.

He predicted coming shortages of both milk and crops because of the downpours. He warned: “Farmers are very worried indeed.”

What are your memories of Hartlepool and East Durham in 1983? Tell us more by emailing [email protected]