January 1966
Isle of Wight Times:-
Jan 6th 1966: RED RIDING HOOD – This traditional pantomime was presented at the Esplanade Pavilion, Ryde, on Saturday afternoon and evening by the Young Vectis Players. Since 1962 when the company was formed at Ryde, membership has doubled to 40 and four pantomimes, one musical and half a dozen charity concerts have been staged.
Jan 6th 1966: DIVERTED – Buses had to be diverted about two miles from their usual route when a 60 ft. Tree was blown down across the main road at Pondwell on Sunday, which serves the No. 8 (Ryde-Bembridge) and No. 7 (Ryde-Seaview) services. It was almost five hours later before Ryde Corporation workmen using heavy equipment were able to clear the lane for traffic.
Jan 6th 1966: HEALTH WORRIES – A steady increase in the number of illegitimate births in Ryde Borough is worrying the authorities. In 1964 the borough’s 272 births included 41 to unmarried mothers—an illegitimacy rate of 13.1 per cent.
Jan 6th 1966: TERMINAL – Hovertravel Ltd., of Southampton, the firm which already operates passenger hovercraft between the mainland and Ryde, hope to introduce much larger vehicle-carrying craft by 1968. It is planned to build the second terminal about half a mile west of the pier in the Buckland Grange area and operate craft from the foreshore at Pelhamfield.
Jan 13th 1966: NEW SERVICES – After a two-day hearing at Ryde Town Hall some applications to operate additional bus services to compensate for Island rail closures were granted and others refused.
Jan 20th 1966: PILOT SCHEME – An experimental pilot scheme at the Binstead housing estate for the collection of refuse using the paper sack method is to begin on April 1.
Jan 20th 1966: PARISH CHURCHYARD – Ryde Corporation has agreed to increase the annual contribution towards the upkeep of the closed churchyard at Binstead from £15 to £30. The increase follows an approach to the Borough council by the Rector the Rev. Clifford TARGETT.
Jan 20th 1966: TRANSPORT – Ald. Mark WOODNUTT commented “It would have been a terrible thing if the railways had closed, for then Ryde would become a giant bus terminal for some 3,000,000 people. Its days as a holiday resort would have been over.”
Jan 20th 1966: POSTED MISSING – While the search for the bears Nikita and Valentina was in progress, some other “residents” of Ryde Children’s Zoo disappeared as well. They included two kestrels, a tawny owl, and some zebra snails, with shells eight inches in diameter.
Jan 20th 1966: TUBE TRAINS – Planning Manager of B.R. Southern Region, Mr. D. V. ELLISON, this week revealed a scheme to electrify the Ryde-Shanklin railway and use converted London tube trains. The line was expected to be in operation in February 1967.
Jan 27th 1966: LIBRARY – fact may be stranger than fiction, but in both departments Ryde’s £32,000 public library, opened in October by Earl Mountbatten, surprised the readers yesterday. Anxious faces peered out through the plate glass windows, and puzzled ones looked in, but never—at least, not for about 15 minutes—the twain did meet. The lock on the main door had broken. Mr. ABBOTT, librarian put a determined shoulder against the door and the lock finally gave way.
Jan 27th 1966: COPPED – When two men were arrested within minutes of breaking into the Scala cinema, Ryde, and raiding the kiosk, one of them commented: “We were well and truly copped!”