CROWTHORNE Summer Fete was held at the recreation ground 57 years ago, in association with the Convent of Our Lady of Angels’ School.

The Bishop of Portsmouth had the difficult task of judging the fancy dress competition, which had contestants dressed as “flapper girls” and “sugar cubes”.

An evening dance at the Ferranti social club was brightened by the appearance of the Bracknell Carnival Queen, Elizabeth Harrod, in June 1963.

Arriving with her attendants, Norma Turner and Annette Jones, they all wore dresses designed by Violet Hopkins of Mayfair Modes.

A long description was published in the News of the outfits that the girls wore: “Elizabeth was dressed in an ice-blue dress of nylon organza over a net with a picture neck-line, loose bodice and full skirt.”

It continued: “Over one shoulder was a chiffon “cape”, Annette’s dress was the same as Elizabeth’s but was in lemon instead of ice-blue.”

A lucky couple from Crowthorne opened their breakfast cereal box in June 1963, and got more than they bargained for when they discovered they had won a brand-new Ford Cortina car.

Mr. and Mrs. Lake of Hillary Road, had purchased the cereal from the nearby International Stores, where the manager also had reason to smile, as he received £100 for selling it to them.

The couple had been planning to replace their aged 1956 Anglia car when they scooped the top prize in a national competition.

Twenty-one teams of tug-of-war competitors descended on Butlins holiday camp, Clacton-on-Sea to pull at the South of England semi-finals 57 years ago.

A squad of staff members from Broadmoor Hospital were triumphant and were looking forward to ‘travelling’ to the national finals, which were due to be held (unbelievably) at their home ground near Broadmoor.

The Bracknell News carried a publicity photo from the Essex event, describing the cheerleading “Miss United Kingdom” Jackie Waring, as a “21-year-old hazel-eyed brunette photographic model, with a 36-23-36 figure”, which, five decades later, reads like the script for a “Carry On” film.

The Queen’s Birthday Parade at Arborfield Garrison included the presentation of a long service medal to Sergeant S.J. Whitney, 36, who had spent half his life in the Army.

The Bracknell News published a photo of the award ceremony, which also included another recipient, Warrant Officer A. Grimshaw, who had just been given a similar medal by Colonel L.C. Libby.

A newly formed club met for the first time for a coffee morning in 1963, to raise money for the Bracknell Freedom from Hunger campaign.

A profit of £19 was made by the Inner Wheel Club, and the members who posed for the news photographer included, Mrs. D. Saunders, Mrs. E. Wall and Mrs. M. Hawkins.