When Woody Woodpecker and Mavis Riley came to Hartlepool in front of 6,000 fans

After all, it is not often that Mavis Riley from Coronation Street and Woody Woodpecker share the same stage.

But they did in 1986 when the Radio 1 Roadshow was in town. Confused? Let us explain all.

l Six thousand music fans packed onto the green at Seaton Carew to watch the Radio 1 Roadshow.

Members of the audience took part in a game on the stage where they had to do their best impersonation of someone famous.

They came up with Woody Woodpecker and Mavis Riley from Coronation Street.

The Mail said: ‘there were spot prizes on offer as well as the chance for instant stardom for some’.

l Historic paddle steamer Wingfield Castle cruised into Hartlepool for a £1million facelift.

Schoolchildren and councillors welcomed the 52-year-old vessel home from Swansea.

The project was expected to provide about 50 jobs for the town and was expected to last about four years.

l Davy Forge Ltd announced plans to build a new £1.25million forging and processing plant.

Managing Director Ian Ford told the Mail in 1986 that the new plant, partly financed by government grants, guaranteed the safety of the 200 jobs at the plant and could create about 20 new posts by 1988.

l A decision was taken in principle to hold Dock Rock 87 despite the summer 1986 festival making a loss.

The proposals for Dock Rock 87 – as well as a detailed report on 1986 three-day festival– were possibly going to be put to the leisure services committee

on November 4,1986.

l Hartlepool residents won praise for their tremendous response to a special national appeal for terminally ill children.

Around 150 volunteers offered to become donors for a bone marrow transplant campaign, which was mounted by the Round Table organisation and the department store Woolworths.

Woolworths manager Mr Graeme Keith said at the time: “The response has been excellent. We had people queueing up to put their names down as potential donors.”

l Champs in Church Street won the Hartlepool Civic Society’s prestigious rose bowl.

The wine bar and gym, which housed leisure facilities inside a historic building, became only the second new development to have won the bowl.

l Crispian Hodgson used an all-day ticket for a bus trip round Hartlepool, Peterlee, Durham and Newcastle to raise money for the

Martin House Hospice in Cleveland.

The hospice was being built to care for children who were terminally ill.

Crispian, 14, said at the time: “I wanted to see how many buses I could get on.”

l Thorpe Hospital Maternity Unit officially closed its doors with the last of the expectant mothers and nursing staff discharged or transferred to Sunderland

and Hartlepool units.

The last baby born at the East Durham hospital arrived on August 31 and since then mothers booked into Thorpe have been transferred.

Feelings were very strong against the closure of Thorpe because of increased travelling distances.

l And the £700,000 Mill House Leisure Centre was under construction in Hartlepool.

What are your memories of Hartlepool in the 1980s? Get in touch and tell us more by emailing [email protected]