Icy roads contributed to an amazing escape for a Wraysbury couple who had an unexpected visitor back in January 1987.

A 10-ton lorry lost control on a patch of icy road outside Keith and Shirley Mayers’ house and ploughed through their garden fence and stopped inches from the family kitchen.

A ‘shaken but not stirred’ Keith later told the Observer: “There was a thump and the whole house shook. I am sure the lorry would have gone straight through the house if it had not been stopped by our caravan outside – we were very,very lucky.”

A Britwell actor was the cat’s whiskers 31 years ago as Derek Holt completed a gruelling seven week run in the pantomime Dick Whittington at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley.

In particular Derek had made a speciality out of playing Dick Whittington’s feline friend for over 11 years,wearing an ‘unbelievably hot’ fur and nylon costume.

The seven week stint was not without its mishaps and Derek said: “Lyn Paul (Dick) tripped over me and he also became separated from ‘the cat’ when several actors trod on it!”

Windsor’s Theatre Royal was hosting a new comedy by Keith Waterhouse and Wills Hall called Children’s Day starring Francis Matthews and Angela Browne.

The domestic sit-com was set around two parents trying to run a kiddie’s party and the jolly japes ensue as they try to disentangle the self-inflicted problems.

Mr Matthews told the Observer: “In the end the parents end up acting like children – I think it’s a terribly clever piece of writing.”

Junior Health Minister, Edwina Currie got on her bike to help publicise a £40 million mammogram unit to screen women aged between the ages of 50 to 64 in the fight against breast cancer.

The Observer Mobile Screening Unit,when completed,would have its own dedicated team on hand to carry out full support activities when mammography X-rays produce evidence of a problem.

Langley Grammar’s sixth form pantomime was a mixture of Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella but the pupils could not think of a title for the show.

But after several rehearsals a few heads were bashed together and someone came up with Jackerella with the cast practising every lunch hour and evening before the opening night.

Haggis was on the menu when the Castle Hotel in Windsor staged its annual Burns supper for a famous Slough firm.

Over 200 revellers from the firm celebrated with the haggis being cut by Albert Scrogie,to the sound of Scottish pipes.