Back in the day: We delve into our archives to see what was going on 10 years ago, 25 years ago and 50 years ago this week

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10 years ago – December 4, 2014

Church closes

The West Berkshire church where the Duchess of Cambridge was christened has held its final service.

St Andrew’s Church in Bradfield could be sold to Bradfield College to help fund a modern building on the site of St Peter’s Church in the centre of the village.

The decision to cease services at the Grade-II listed St Andrew’s was announced earlier this year and more than 200 people attended the final service of Thanksgiving and Holy Communion led by the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Andrew Proud, on St Andrew’s Day.

The priest in charge of the parishes of Bradfield, Bucklebury and Stanford Dingley, the Rev Julian Gadsby, said the service had been very well received but also proved a sad occasion for people who had been worshipping there over the years.

He said: “It was a fitting service for the final time of worship for us in the church, and appropriate that it fell on St Andrew’s Day.

“Sunday marked the end of regular worship at St Andrew’s.

“There is a legal process for closing the church, which will begin when the church’s immediate future is made clearer.

“Although St Andrew’s has not therefore been closed yet, and thus remains the parish church, we have been advised to put things in place to preserve the building and its contents now it is not being used for regular worship.”

25 years ago – December 2, 1999

GM food ban

The catering company serving West Berkshire’s children with school dinners has pledged to ban genetically-modified (GM) food products from its menus.

The decision, by Bracknell-based Initial Catering Services, comes amid mounting speculation over the possible side effects of GM foods, and despite worries that it could prove unworkable in practice.

A nutritionist at Initial Catering Services, Karen Dack, believed that it was “highly unlikely” that GM ingredients had been used in West Berkshire school dinners, as the company carried out a check last autumn.

50 years ago – December 5, 1974

Baby in fire drama

A young woman rushed into her burning caravan to save her 18-month-old son from the blaze that destroyed her home.

And an employee of the nearby oil company narrowly escaped injury in his attempt to save the property.

Attractive Mrs Barbara Beamond (23) snatched baby Mark from the smoke-filled mobile home next to Padworth Village Hall, on Friday.

Minutes later, the Whole caravan was ablaze with flames leaping skywards.

Mrs Beamond was cleaning the village hall as part her caretaker’s duties when she saw the fire, shortly before 4pm.

“I came out to get a cigarette,” she told the NWN, “and saw flames coming from the living room.

“Mark thought it was a big joke. I wasn’t frightened… until it was all over and realised what had happened.”

She explained that the child’s room was separated from the living room by the kitchen, and she was able to reach him before flames harmed either of them.

But all her family possessions were destroyed, and only the charred framework of the caravan is left standing.

Employees of the Conoco oil company opposite saw the flames and telephoned the fire brigade.

Meanwhile, they set to work fighting the fire with their own special equipment.