9 times you made the news in Hartlepool in 1981 - from competitive kipper eating to dancing with Bad Manners

There was a kipper caper that would have tested the strongest constitution and we have 8 other stories which also made the Hartlepool Mail headlines that year.

Let’s take a look.

Ten thousand people watched the 1981 Harbour Fete which started with a trawler race round the bay with craft of all sizes taking part.

There was a fancy dress parade in which the boys and girls of the English Martyrs School band kept the crowds entertained.

Next on the menu, for those who could stomach it, was a competition to see who could eat ten kippers the quickest. Did you win?

Children made sure that playgroup leader Roger Ellerton got soaked with a mix of shaving foam, water and fruit every lunchtime during the 1981 Hartlepool playscheme.

Up to 400 children at a time were taking part in the scheme, which allowed working families to drop their children off on a morning and pick them up after they finished their jobs.

Some of the events were held at Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Thousands of happy people gathered under clear skies for the Hartlepool Mail’s Scope 2 party, which was held to raise money to pay for a real time scanner for the local hospital.

The party got off to a lively start when British Telecom’s favourite character, Buzby, came along to open the proceedings.

Then, revellers had a really good time when they got to hurl wet sponges at Hartlepool Mail reporters and Hartlepool Borough councillors.

Brunswick Hotel’s landlord Mervin Taylor and his wife Sheila decided to hold a sponsored roller skate in 1981 and got huge backing from regulars.

Former England roller hockey player Mervin, 48, said at the time: “It’s an idea that has grown in the pub itself.”

Deborah Dixon, 17, came up with her own solution after searching for a job for a year – by offering to walk dogs for a living.

Deborah wanted to help elderly, disabled or just busy people in the town wanting someone to walk their pooches.

She searched for a job ever since she left Brierton Comprehensive more than a year earlier.

The race for the 100 new jobs at Hartlepool’s British Steel plant started early with more than 50 men waiting outside the town’s Jobcentre.

Within minutes, an estimated 200 forms had been handed out and officials expected the remainder to go before lunchtime on the first day.

The 100 new jobs were created when Hartlepool’s 44-inch pipe mill won a £6.5million order for a North Sea gas pipeline.

Bambers Fashions was due to open in Hartlepool towards the end of 1981 after the closure of Waring and Gillow.

Did you work there?

Karen Gibson, 18, from Hartlepool, was due to dance on Tyne Tees Television’s Razzamatazz programme with the group Bad Manners.

And she hoped her appearance will lead to a host of offers for full-time dancing jobs.

The last shift surfaced at Blackhall Colliery in 1981 after 65 years of production. The workforce was gradually decreased from 1,300 to 650 and most were transferred to other collieries.

What are your memories of life in 1981? Tell us more by emailing [email protected]