25 Years Ago-April 29, 1977

THE BBC's Today team have chosen the Lake District for the first of a new style of morning programmes to be broadcast from different venues around the country.

The Lake District programme is to go out on Radio 4 on Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 and will include the contributions from reports aboard an AA spotter plane airborne above Cumbria, a cruiser on Lake Windermere and from a reporter on horseback somewhere in the area.

Manchester-based producer, Trevor Taylor, describes the venture as "the biggest and most ambitious outside broadcast ever mounted by the programme," and while this first outside broadcast will take the Lakeland tourist industry as its topic of interest, others in the series will probably cover news stories as they occur.

Presenter Brian Redhead will be broadcasting from the shores of Lake Windermere but his co-presenter Nigel Rees will remain in London for the Lake District programme.

50 Years Ago-May 3, 1952

A RECORD football crowd for the Netherfield ground - estimated at more than 6,000 - came from all parts of the North West to see Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City play a 1-1 draw in the Westmorland FA Invitation Trophy match.

This, the third annual game, was the most entertaining of the series, but followed the pattern of its predecessors in that it ended in a draw and the two clubs become joint holders of the handsome trophy valued at £250.

Between 80 and 90 coaches from places as far as Carlisle and Clitheroe brought parties to the match, while every village and hamlet in Westmorland was represented.

Manchester City's goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, was a prisoner-of-war at Bela River Camp during the last war and his first football in this country was played at Burton.

The two teams stayed in Kendal from Monday evening to Wednesday, and on Tuesday were conducted on a tour of the K Shoes factory before having lunch at Windermere and making a coach tour to Grasmere in the afternoon.

100 Years Ago-May 3, 1902

THE Coronation committee at Kirkby Lonsdale is in a dilemma for 15 of their numbers are for a two-day celebration and 15 for a one-day celebration.

The embarrassment is so trying they have decided to sleep on it.

Could they not split the difference and make it a day-and-a-half? The opponents of the one-day plan seem to have taken umbrage because it was suggested that on the other day people at Kirkby Lonsdale may like to come to Kendal, to see what is doing here.

One gentleman protested that it is quite as probable people from Kendal may wish to visit Kirkby Lonsdale, Kirkby Lonsdale being the prettier place of the two.

Manifestly there would be no getting over an argument of this kind, which begs the question so audaciously, if that were all.

But people who come into Kendal on that occasion will come to see the show not the natural features which form its setting and I hope when it is over not even Mr Mattinson will be able to deny that the Kendal Coronation show was the best in Westmorland.

150 Years Ago-May 2, 1852

ON SATURDAY night, at Todmorden, the bellman was sent around the town announcing a lottery for a leg of mutton.

A spice vendor on the bridge had about 200 packages of spices to sell at a penny each, and in one of these packages of spices, a ticket for a leg of mutton was said to be enclosed, but the person who got it was not to make his good fortune known until called upon by the vendor at about 10 o'clock on pain of losing the prize.

In a short time the man was besieged with customers, and instead of 20 he shortly parted with three times that number, some individuals being so anxious to meet with the prize that they spent a shilling.

When the time arrived for the winner to make his appearance to claim the mutton, the road was not passable, hundreds of persons crowding about the stall to have a glimpse of the fortunate individual.

The ticket for the mutton was, however, found in one of the packages unsold! For that the vendor pretended to be very sorry, but as an encouragement to his customers, he promised t

o be there again on the following Saturday when he would hazard two prizes of equal value with the leg of mutton.

Some of the 'gulls' were loud in their denunciation at this announcement.