|
January 1994
Round the world yachtswoman Carol Randall shared the excitement of her incredible eight-month long voyage in a talk to children at Newton Road Junior School.
2,000 job hunters applied for the 200 jobs advertised for the new Rushden supermarket of Safeways on Crown Park.
Frances Gutteridge died aged 100. She was one of the original residents of the care home, ‘The Beeches’, in Higham Road.
The Independent Wesleyan Church’s new hall in Queen Street was opened. Fellow churches, local businesses and townspeople helped to raise the £150,000 needed.
February 1994
Barbara Evelyn of Rushden used her hobby of dolls houses to raise funds for charity by talking to local organisations.
Susan Hollowell of Age Concern and leader of the Rushden House Martins Over Sixties Club campaigned for better access to trains for those in wheel chairs rather than travelling in the guards van.
Splash Pool advert: Adults £1.45, Pensioners 90p. Rushden Sports Centre offered sauna, squash, badminton and tennis.
March 1994
Rushden & District History Society staged an exhibition at the Wellingborough Heritage Centre tracing Rushden’s development since the eighteenth century.
An attempt was underway to resurrect Rushden’s Town Council.
The former John White factory in Lime Street was being considered for the status of listed building.
Safeways Superstore opened on Crown Park, Northampton Road, Rushden.
April 1994
A local trader was calling for CCTV cameras after yobs vandalised his kitchen showroom, Classic Collections, just three days after it opened.
Arts events at Rushden Hall included glass engravers, Rushden writers, soprano Maureen Braithwaite and “The Post Impressionists” Roadshow.
May 1994
A marksman was called in to kill more than 100 pigeons that were creating a mess in Rushden High Street.
Relatives were given less than 24 hours notice to collect pensioners when Hawthorns Home, Wymington Road, Rushden, was closed when it passed into receivership.
It was announced that as a result of the recession one of Rushden’s largest shops, the Co‑op Home and Fashion Store, would close in July. A new shop originally planned as a department store for the Co-op a few yards away in the High Street had stood empty for over a year.
Arts events during the month included: Print making workshop, Ron Brooks local landscape artist, and the East of England Orchestra Quartette.
June 1994
Many celebrations and exhibitions were held in the town to mark the 50th Anniversary of D‑Day.
Rushden Carnival had a musical theme of “Your Favourite Tune”. Five carnival bands took part in a colourful parade followed by a fête in the park.
Competition from other leisure centres may have led to a large drop in numbers attending Rushden’s Splash Pool – 176,815 compared with 258,169 in 1993.
Thieves ripped out £1,500 worth of electrical equipment at Park Road Baptist Church, and within a week, in broad daylight a petrol lawn mower was stolen.
East Northants Council announced a £2.5 million plan to upgrade council homes, including Higham Ferrers and Rushden, replacing heating boilers, re‑roofing, putting in UPVC windows and central heating.
|
|
July 1994
Flames ripped through the West End DIY store in the centre of Rushden causing damage to the whole interior of the shop.
Temperatures in East Northamptonshire left Corfu, Bermuda and Crete in the shade as readings rose to 87 degrees F.
Council workers of UNISON came out on strike against plans for a shake-up in Local Government.
August 1994
Countryside Book Shop became the fourteenth shop to stand empty in the High Street. Clive Wood, a former District Council chairman, suggested a campaign to raise public awareness about shopping locally would help to revive the town.
Moves to bring back Rushden Town Council were a step closer following twenty years of campaigning.
Arthur Holloman of Rushden Chamber of Trade recommended that such schemes as the hanging basket programme started in 1992 should be taken a step further.
September 1994
Torrential rain brought flooding misery and treacherous driving conditions in the county though Rushden and district escaped major flooding.
People in Rushden were told the Council Tax would rise significantly if the town got its own council. Despite this, a public meeting gave unanimous support for its own council when 60 residents sent back the clear message to the East Northants Council.
It was proposed that boarded-up shop fronts in Rushden High Street could be given a facelift by local schoolchildren painting murals on them.
A £1.3 million project was expected to be completed by Christmas. Improvements to the Pemberton Centre included a state of the art vascular gym and a children’s adventure world.
October 1994
A fifth generation baker, John Crane, blamed out of town shopping for the collapse of his business. Anglo Swiss Patisserie had been founded in 1888.
The newly formed Rushden Taverners’ group banned three culprits in a move to get tough on troublemakers. All 12 pubs and one hotel in Rushden belonged to the group, with the approval of the police, to cut the number of under-age drinkers.
It was hoped that security cameras would be implemented in time for Christmas in a bid to cut down on crime in Rushden town centre. East Northants District Council agreed to fund an initial experimental camera system.
November 1994
More than 8,000 excited fun lovers braved the drizzle to enjoy the £5,500 worth of fireworks at the annual spectacular in Rushden Hall Park.
Suggestions were made for new railway stations in the county, including one for Irchester.
Rushden Rotary Club helped to bring a pioneering venture in Drugs Awareness initiative in educating youngsters to Hayway Infant School.
Volunteers were urged to build steps at the Hedges Pocket Park on the old railway line.
December 1994
The Methodist Church in Higham Ferrers needed £100,000 spending on it.
The R.A.T.S. handed over £12,000 to buy stage equipment for the refurbishment of the Pemberton Centre.
Christmas Seals raised £2,482 for Rushden After Care.
Eleven members of the 4th Rushden Whitefriars Scout group were raising funds with table-top sales, quiz nights and an under‑18 disco for a trip to the European Jamboree in Holland.
|
