A look back at the stories making the headlines 100 years ago in Northwich...

100 years ago

VEGETARIANS were required by law to declare their dietary requirements, according to new guidelines for food rations.

The Ministry of Food issued a statement for people across the country to declare whether they required meat as part of their allowance of food following a shortage of meat available in Cheshire.

The local authority managed the distribution of declaration forms to more than 500,000 homes in Cheshire.

Adults who surrendered their ‘meat card’ were granted extra portions of vegetables and fats, such as dairy products like butter and margarine, to minimise the number of wasted products. Any ‘wrongful declarations’ of meat products would carry ‘serious consequences’.

50 years ago

SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Northwich were invited by Cheshire Police to produce crime prevention posters for a competition.

The Guardian reported that a rise in car and bike thefts across the Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford areas prompted the police to come up with this competition, sponsored by the Home Office, asking children to produce colourful posters to display around the towns.

Officers received almost 200 entries from children, but judges selected 13-year-old Weaverham schoolgirl Patricia Cohen’s “Keep your windows closed” design to deter burglars as well as reminding people to lock and close their windows as the winner.

25 years ago

THE tables were turned for a retiring dinner lady from Antrobus with children ensuring her final lunch was delicious.

Joan Gibbons had worked for Antrobus Primary School for more than 25 years working in the kitchen as a catering assistant before retiring in 1993.

She was presented with a cake by seven-year-old Aimee Richardson that had been decorated by the Year Six children.

Mrs. Gibbons said: “I am so happy to have been given such a lovely send off. I’ll miss each and every one of the children at the school.”

Pupils kindly gave Joan a space at the dinner table in the main hall for her final lunchtime where she shared out the cake with everyone.