Chief reporter JACK TOLSON delves into the Chronicle archives from July 1994 to see what was making the news ...

TEACHERS FEAR JOB LOSSES AND BIGGER CLASSES

A THOUSAND-name petition was handed to education chiefs this week amid fears that teacher redundancies and bigger class sizes are facing local schools.

Education Committee chairman Coun David Foster broke off from a meeting of the committee to accept the petition, signed by parents in Athersley and Lundwood, from teachers at St Hilda’s Junior School.

But while promising that the council would do its best to ensure that no teaching jobs were lost, Coun Foster said he could make no guarantees.

He said: “I am as concerned as the staff and parents, but everything that we can do is being done.

“We are actively seeking to redeploy staff and are hopeful of securing a successful outcome.”

Unions fear job losses and bigger classes at three secondary schools, following a government decision to agree a 2.9 per cent wage rise for teachers.

Staff at St Hilda’s have won backing from parents in a bid to force Education Secretary John Patten to fund the increase.

Otherwise, they fear, one of the 12 teaching posts could go and classes increase from around 24 to 30, with mixed age groups.

SHOPPERS RAISE BOSNIA FUNDS

TOWN centre shoppers helped raise more than £600 to help refugees in Bosnia.

Traffic was brought to a temporary halt when around 20 people, consisting of Bosnian refugees living in this country and well-wishers wearing nurses’ uniforms, took the train and pulled a five-and-a-half tonne former army truck turned ambulance through the streets.

Organisers Paul and Jackie Ryalls, just back from their 11th mercy mission to the former Yugoslavia, had nothing but praise for the people of Barnsley.

“We would like to give a big thank you to the people of Barnsley for their help,” Mrs Ryalls, of Dodworth, said.

“We had a megaphone in the truck’s cab and traffic wardens led the way.

“People were really good-humoured about it all, stomping and egging us on during our two trips round the town centre.”

PIRATES’ PRANK

TOWN hall staff had red faces yesterday after a Jolly Roger flew from the building’s flag pole at lunchtime.

A security investigation has been launched after someone unpicked a bolt on a door, climbed the staircase in the tower and the raised the small black flag with a skull and crossbones motif from the pole.

It flew in the breeze for almost an hour before staff took it down after taking calls from the public.

Council leader Hedley Salt called the stunt idiotic and offensive.

He said: “The town hall is open to the public and is made available for weddings and other functions.

“The building will always be vulnerable to idiotic and offensive tricks.

“”It is one of the things we have to put up with when we have an open door policy.

“e shall be looking at security in certain areas of the building.”