THE longest serving worker with one of the oldest firms on Slough Trading Estate was waving goodbye to his job making rubber gloves.

Bill Day was retiring after more than 40 years with Puritee Medical Company, in Berwick Avenue, which supplied surgical gloves to hospitals.

Mr. Day told the Observer: “At one time the company was nicknamed the ‘Day Company’ because nearly all my family worked there- father, brother, wives and some of our children!”

Windsor’s status as a major tourist centre in 1985 had prompted speculation that the branch railway line could be used for steam trains as a visitor attraction.

The Slough and Windsor Railway Society’s secretary, Bob Austin, had recently witnessed (first-hand) a similar project in North Wales where a former branch line had been reopened.

The society, who had over sixty members, already owned rolling stock and one steam locomotive, with efforts to secure the return of Slough Estates engine no. 3, at that time being used on the “Watercress Line” in Alton, Hampshire.

Pupils at Burnham Secondary School had the chance to practice their German 35 years ago when a group of students from Haptschule in Daun, West Germany (before reunification) spent a week on campus.

As well as attending lessons they went on day trips to London, Windsor, and Hampton Court, and 12 pupils from Burnham were due to go to Germany in 1986 on a similar exchange visit.

Farnham Common missionary, Connie Shaw, fulfilled a life-long ambition to work abroad after her father passed away and she was offered a job teaching in Swaziland (renamed Eswatini in April 2018).

After spending nearly six years teaching Connie told the Observer: “There was terrible need there, I witnessed lightning strike a homestead, it killed seven people living inside and we had to help the survivors rebuild their lives.”

Although a lot of her work involved the giving of comforting advice, she also helped rehouse locals who lost everything in a cyclone in 1983, which caused terrible devastation, with huge losses of houses and crops.

A survey of all Slough nursery school play equipment had found unacceptably high amounts of lead paint on climbing frames in 1985, but pupils at Slough Centre Nursery School were still being allowed to play on them.

Speaking to the Observer, a spokesperson for Berkshire County Council explained: “The headmistress has been told to pick up any loose bits of paint found in the playground or on equipment - the children are supervised so there is no danger to them.”

Snow White and Sneezy (alias Catherine Jackman and Phil Young) worked their magic to collect £350 for the Burnham Rotary Club whilst collecting in Slough High Street.

Press officer for the club told the Observer: “We are very happy (not sneezy) with amount collected”.