1972 was Guild year for Preston - the Guild Hall wasn't going to be completed on time, Harold Wilson was set to visit and the sheep that just wanted to lead a parade

Here's a handful of lighthearted Lancashire stories and pictures for Preston Guild year 1972
Preston's top Teds, David Sumner and Paul Howarth, who ran into a "bit of bovver" when they scooped first prize in a dance contest at the town's Top Rank ballroom, caused another upset when they went on to represent the town in the national final at Sheffield. The crowd at Sheffield was wild because they didn't win, but only came secondPreston's top Teds, David Sumner and Paul Howarth, who ran into a "bit of bovver" when they scooped first prize in a dance contest at the town's Top Rank ballroom, caused another upset when they went on to represent the town in the national final at Sheffield. The crowd at Sheffield was wild because they didn't win, but only came second
Preston's top Teds, David Sumner and Paul Howarth, who ran into a "bit of bovver" when they scooped first prize in a dance contest at the town's Top Rank ballroom, caused another upset when they went on to represent the town in the national final at Sheffield. The crowd at Sheffield was wild because they didn't win, but only came second

Preston Guild Hall won't be ready

Preston will have to celebrate its Guild Merchant without the new Guild Hall. With the £2 million showpiece still strikebound only weeks from completion, the Guild emergency sub-comittee finally took the inevitable decision to plan the celebrations without it.

A crash programme of rearranged events was immediately authorised, transferring some events to the old Public Hall, postponing others and cancelling just the one - the proposed third Guild ball.

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And the Town Clerk, Mr William Lockley, emerged from the meeting to say: “This is not going to wreck the Guild. Preston Guild can outlive this sort of trouble. We hope that given good weather everyone will enjoy themselves and the fact that we have been denied use of the Guild Hall will only be a pleasure deferred.”

Wilson springs a soccer surprise

Labour leader Harold Wilson is coming to Preston for the Guild celebrations. But he has surprised everybody by announcing that the only event he will be attending will be an amateur soccer tournament final, which is being stage on a local pitch, behind a tip.

Mr Wilson, who has seen a copy of the Guild programme, and has accepted an invitation to be a Guild patron, has notified the corporation that he will visit Preston from his Huyton constituency on Friday evening, September 8, to watch the game.

Mr Wilson’s love of soccer is well known - he is an ardent supporter of his home team, Huddersfield Town - but councillors and officials are puzzled at his choice of event.

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Preston and District League chairman Ivan Lund said: “Football is something Mr Wilson particularly enjoys. He knows full well he might be on the touchline and not in a stand. This is one of the things which attracted him to the occasion.

“He just wants to come down and meet the lads, the people who are organising and playing amateur football.”

Sheepish idea gets flagged down

Peggy the lamb would like to carry the flag in a Preston Guild procession - just like the lamb on the town’s coat of arms. But when her owner Mrs Dorothy Marquis put the idea to the corporation she had a far from enthusiastic response.

“They just didn’t seem interested at all,” said Mrs Marquis, of Pepper Hill Farm, Salwick. “I thought it would be very appropriate, but when I phoned the corporation they said they couldn’t help me, though really I wanted to help them.”

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Mrs Marquis is confident that five-month-old Peggy would behave herself in a procession. “She is really an exceptional lamb,” she said.

Guild co-ordinator Mr Geoffrey Millward, said that they applauded the idea but it was up to Mrs Marquis to find someone interested in using the lamb.