When Hart finally got its bypass - and 8 other stories from 43 years ago

What a day it was for the people of Hart Village in 1980 when they got the news they wanted. The £1million Hart bypass was on the way.

Three years of hard work by planners, villagers and councillors was ending and the new road would take heavy traffic travelling between Hartlepool and the A19.

Residents of Hart complained that traffic split the village in half and caused problems with noise and road safety.

They hoped Hart would once again take on a rural atmosphere and become a true country village.

It made the headlines 43 years ago and so did all of these stories.

A windy day for the Binns sale

Hundreds of shoppers braved the biting wind for the Binns sale in Hartlepool.

Minutes before the doors were due to open, staff emerged from the Victoria Road store to give the first 35 customers vouchers guaranteeing them the items they wanted.

Cups of tea helped them thaw out after braving the winter morning.

One of the first bargain hunters started her vigil at 5.45am. But her patience was rewarded as she was handed a voucher for one of four portable black and white televisions selling for just £29.95.

The birds that could not fly

The top prize of £250 went unclaimed in the Birdman competition at Hartlepool Harbour Fete because no one could fly 100 metres through the air on their home-made machines before hitting the water.

A Hartlepool woman has discovered what life was like for her grandfather, who served on HMS Warrior.

Mary Ann Bartholomew, 72, visited the famous ship as a guest of the Maritime Preservation Trust which is restoring the Warrior to its former glory.

The family link was Matthew Cahoon, who served on the Warrior for four years during the 1870s.

Jelly, ice cream and coins

Hartlepool celebrated the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday with a carnival atmosphere.

Celebration cakes were baked, children tucked into jelly and ice-cream at street parties and delighted youngsters were given commemorative coins to treasure.

Twins Pamela Carr and her sister Joanne, 10 months, were given Queen Mother crowns after the party in Rowell Street. Twenty other children also received the present.

Shirley Borthwick, 13, completed a huge treble in the dance world.

She won the British, the All-England and the North Eastern Junior Tap Dancing Championships.

She was a member of the Freda Compton Dancing School which is based in Hartlepool and has been dancing since she was two years old.

When we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek

Jeanette Arnell, from Hartlepool, had a great year when she won the Sunderland Open Ice Skating Championships, beating some of the best young opposition in the country.

The lost art of dancing cheek-to-cheek was at the centre of a revival bid at the Borough Hall.

The idea belonged to William O’Dell who planned a “real old-fashioned dance”.

He said at the time: “If we get good support then we will think about having Saturday night dances regularly in the Borough Hall.

Japanese television producer Yutaka Harada returned to Billingham to film the folklore festival for Japanese TV.

In 1980, the enthusiastic folklore buff has a companion - his wife Hideko came along.