DURING its relatively short life Middleton Civic Centre attracted some top named performers.

It was stated at the inception of the proposed facility that the civic hall would provide a 'century' of culture and entertainment.  

Jack and the Beanstalk will go down in history as being the very last pantomime performed at the venue. It was directed by Alan Rothwell and featured the dancers from a local school, Anita Tymcyshyn. In 1976 the town’s panto hit the headlines. During December there was a polio outbreak and worried parents and two school party bookings were cancelled. Individuals became concerned at the possible risk of infection at such a large gathering of children.

Rochdale's medical officer, Dr Wilman was quoted on TV saying that the borough should not be treated as a black area because of the recent scare. He went further when interviewed by the Guardian, he said: "It was probably one (Middleton) of the healthiest parts of the country following our vaccination programme." 

Over the pantomime season 28,500 seats were available. The then manager, Sam Shrouder, stated: "Even though sales have dropped off, we are still averaging between two and three thousand bookings a week, on the financial side we are at the breaking even point, and we have the remainder of the season yet to cover."

One of the very first 'sell out' events at the new hall, in November 1975, went down in history, mainly due to controversy.

'Ball of the Century,' sold 700 tickets  and many local dancers were disappointed because they could not get one. Being a new municipal authority the ticket allocation was divided up between Heywood, Rochdale and Middleton. This left Middleton ratepayers who were proud of their new facility, short of tickets.

On the night the dance floor looked like a scrum as nearly all of the 700 dancers took to the floor, all wanting to enjoy a dance to the sound of Phil Moss and his Big Band and the Joe Loss Orchestra.

In attempt to even things up a second booking was made for the 30 January 1976, entitled the 'Ball of the Century 2'.  The public of Middleton would be offered the first chance to buy tickets.

This event also had its fair share of complaints, lack of seating was the main grievance, one man brought his own, his office was close by so he went over and borrowed a few chairs. Crowding on the dance floor and the time it took to be served with drinks were also unsatisfactory.

There were no arrangements to serve tea or coffee, one woman waited an hour for a sandwich. Did you attend these dances? If so we would like to hear from you, write or phone with your experiences.

THE opening of the hall brought in additional request's for the services of the St John Ambulance. At the time I was the ambulance driver so my services were in demand. What follows are edited extracts from my log, which is normally confidential. Personal details have been withheld for this reason.

"Pop concert, set up treatment area in the Mezzanine Suite. Teenagers, mainly girls collapse due to hysteria. Many have to be rescued from the front due to being crushed. Sixteen year old has a pelvic injury and is taken to Booth Hall Children’s Hospital. Ambulance has not been in use for sometime, and the black smoke pouring from the rear as we climb Charlestown Road is worrying. At the hospital I am requested to move the vehicle after off loading the patient because it’s polluting the A&E department.

"Attend several events single handed, one such event is David Kossoff doing his one man show. He arrives with only one stage prop, a leather arm chair. He entertains the audience with his banter after which he sits in the foyer chatting to anyone who desires. He looks a kind gentleman, softly spoken and is sad at the death of his son due to drug use. His tour is related to drug awareness.

"Wrestling match. Called into the ring which I find very soft, like walking on a trampoline. The performer has a back injury and the superintendent and I help him back to his changing room, this is made all the harder because of the oil which has been applied to his body. He makes a miraculous recovery once out of sight of his audience. Another wrestler suffers a below the belt injury, the referee summons our assistance. In the ring I am asked if I have water and cotton wool, once again the performer makes a miraculous recovery when he wrongly concludes where we were going to administer the treatment...

"Pop concert again, Stephenson's Rocket. Found a teenage male slumped behind the door from the foyer, he is not breathing and has weak pulse. Gaining strength in an emergency I carry him up the flight of stairs to the treatment area. He had suffered an asthma attack and once stable is taken to hospital. He later makes a full recovery.
"

Female enters the room supported by her friends, obvious foot problem. She had gone over on her shoe and sprained the ankle, but upon examination she has a tender spot in the soft tissue. Taking her to Booth Hall it is given an X-ray where an unusual object is discovered. As a toddler she must have trodden on a sewing needle, it was clearly visible on the film having been there for about a decade.

"A well known entertainer pays compliment to the service provided by the brigade, we are voluntary. "Have a drink on me" he says placing something into the top pocket of my tunic. I later discover it’s a tea bag."

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