ROYAL APPOINTMENT: Bury Lions' new Carnival Queen for 1976 was 19-year-old Karen Millett, a machine operator at Greenwood and Coope carpet manufacturers in Ramsbottom. Karen of Pennington Street, Walshaw, beat stiff competition from eleven other beauties to take the title.

MAGICAL MYSTERY BUS TOUR: A mystery driver stole a bus from outside the Ramsbottom depot then crashed it into the side of a nearby shop. Mr George Roberts and his wife May, of Crow Lane, were awoken in the early hours to find the single decker embedded in the wall of the second hand shop below.

IN THE MONEY AGAIN: Radcliffe man Danny Carr, who won more than half a million pounds on the Littlewoods Pools a year early, was in the money again . . . winning £4 from the Bury FC Double Chance Town Tote. He was to share the prize with a friend. APRIL FOOL'S DAY: Police sealed off Radcliffe railway station as the bomb squad rushed from Manchester to inspect a suspect package found on a train. The white package had been carried from the train on to the platform by a Whitefield girl. It buzzed threateningly as bomb experts tentatively inspected it and firefighters stood by.

But within minutes, the "bomb" was declared an April Fool's Day hoax. Inside the package was an electric motor making the buzzing noise.

"SEW", LA, TEE, DOH: Edward W. Andrew Limited had vacancies for experienced sewing machinists at its Walshaw Road factory in Bury. The company offered: guaranteed minimum earnings of £37.37 for 40 hours, attractive bonus scheme, canteen facilities, free overalls and... music while you work!