Did Hartlepool horoscope man Frank Mayes predict your future?

We took our archive search back to 1984 and found a profile feature on a man who had studied astrology for 48 years.

The town man worked at ICI and his workmates certainly knew all about his talent.

A few of them asked if he would do the horoscopes of their relatives. Two weekends later, he had done 28 and most people said he had been right on the mark with his feedback.

At the time, he said: “I have never charged because I still consider myself an amateur.”

Our feature writer at the time had a go. Frank told her she was tough, jealous and possessive but also reliable and loyal.

Our reporter left relatively happy at the outcome.

But who remembers Frank and who can tell us more about him?

Email [email protected].

Other local people in the news that year included Barbara Newcombe and her married sister Janet Stevens who certainly had a style for fashion.

They formed a business called JaBa and came up with great leisure wear designs for people wanting to look and feel comfortable while they worked out.

How did the company do?

That was the year when the halfpenny finally went out of circulation after 704 years.

When the Hartlepool Mail asked locals for their views, most described the coin as a nuisance.

Hartlepool man George Young was among many who said they were almost worthless and took up a lot of annoying space in your pockets.

Also on the way out was the Seaton Carew Co-operative Women’s Guild which was meeting for the last time after decades in existence.

Four dedicated members had kept it going all that time but eventually, they had no choice but to bring it all to an end.

Hilda Weed, 74, the president for 20 years, said; “For two years we have managed with just eight people but during the last 12 months four have died.”

But on the way back was Becky the runaway goat who thought she was a dog.

She went missing from her home in Ninth Street, Horden, where she was a pet to Bill Scott and his family.

She hoofed it over to June Lawson in Cowell Street in the village but after a night of freedom, she was brought safely home.

Mr Scott said Becky was a present to the family when she was only nine months old, but she had gone walkabout to become pals with Mrs Lawson’s pet dog Judy.

Mr Scott said that was no surprise because Becky thought she was a pooch. He said at the time: “It spent the summer living with my four pet whippets.”