April 1975
Due to files not being available for 1975, we have substituted with April 1960 news.
Isle of Wight County Press:
Apr 2nd 1960: FIRST AMBULANCE – Mr. Percy Wilfred SUTTON of longmead Road, Ryde celebrated his golden wedding, he was married to Miss Beatrice Sophie MOREY at the Garfield Road Methodist Church on March 28th 1910. From 1904 until 1954 Mr. SUTTON was employed at the Royal I.W. County Hospital as a handyman—a job which covered a variety of tasks, including being the hospital’s electrician. When the first motorised ambulance came to the Island in 1912, Mr. SUTTON became its first driver.
Apr 2nd 1960: B.B.C. BROADCAST FROM RYDE – The popular B.B.C. Light Programme feature “Any Questions” visited the Island again on Friday week, when the broadcast was made from the Town Hall, Ryde. Wherever the team go they encounter capacity audiences, and the Town Hall was filled. Before the broadcast began the audience were entertained, Bill COYAH answered questions relating to the B.B.C.
Apr 2nd 1960: SUCCESSFUL DINNER – The happy relations existing between the Vectis Boating and Fishing Club and Ryde Rowing Club, neighbours on Ryde Pier, were emphasised at the annual dinner of the former club at the Hotel Ryde Castle on Thursday. It was also said it was up to clubs like theirs to encourage visitors to take part in activities. They had to also encourage the young people because their traditional English sports were dying out.
Apr 2nd 1960: AUCTION SALE – Messrs. WAY, RIDDETT & Co., held a sale of furniture at Sudbury, George Street, the property having been acquired by the council for car park purposes. There were 465 lots.
Apr 9th 1960: HOLIDAY FOR REFUGEES – A party of 20 refugee children from Europe arrived at Ryde on Tuesday to spend 10 weeks’ holiday in the homes of Island schoolchildren. The children are mainly from Berlin and Hamburg, and the party includes East Germans, Czechs, and a Russian girl aged 6. After the children left the boat free food and drinks were supplied by the proprietors of the Seagull Café, before being driven to their temporary homes.
Apr 16th 1960: CAVERSHAM HOUSE SCHOOL – An Easter Festival was held at the school on Thursday week. The hall was decorated with masses of spring flowers, with an Easter garden and floral cross. The children sang Easter hymns and gave readings. In the afternoon the children visited the Darby and Joan Club carrying bunches of spring flowers for the old people and sang to them.
Apr 23rd 1960: A.T.C. BAND CONCERT – A concert by the 1024 (East Wight) Squadron A.T.C. Silver Band, Ryde, one of the Island’s most popular musical combinations, provide splendid holiday entertainment at the Esplanade Pavilion on Sunday. The programme included a wide range of works, classic, semi-classic, and contemporary. The programme concluded on an excellent note with Denis WRIGHT’s arrangement of Elgar’s “Nimrod Enigma variations.”
Apr 23rd 1960: PONY RACING AT ASHEY – The opening meeting of the season staged by Island Sports, Ltd., at Ashey Racecourse, near Ryde, on Easter Monday, provided some of the finest racing seen in the Island for many years, four of the six keenly contested events being decided by inches. Conditions were ideal, and although only one favourite was successful during the afternoon, several other results obviously met with the approval of the majority of the holiday crowd.
Apr 23rd 1960: MANY ATTRACTIONS AT RYDE – The greatly increased numbers of passengers travelling between Portsmouth and Ryde had a beneficial effect in Ryde and the East Wight. Compared with the bleak and wet Easter last year the sea front attractions did remarkably well, but despite days of sunshine the cool easterly breezes dissuaded people from bathing, or even paddling.
Apr 23rd 1960: CAFÉ BLAZE – The local section of the County Fire Brigade were called out at about 11.20 am. On Good Friday to extinguish a blazing fish fryer at the Ashtree Restaurant, Union Street. Damage was confined to the fryer. It was the first day of opening by Ashtree Caterer’s, Ltd.