THIS week’s look into our archives takes us back 14 years – when a brave wife was set to join family and friends to take part in a charity firewalk after her husband was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
Gourock policeman and devoted dad-of-two Mark Noone was just 34 when he found out he had the incurable condition.
His wife Erica, sister Adele and sister-in-law Kerry Blance were planning to join friends Sharon Gillan and Tina Irving to walk across 20 feet of coal and wooden embers sizzling at 1236 degrees in a bid to raise money and awareness for charity MND Scotland.
The five daredevils were going to take part in the firewalk at Falkirk Stadium and already had more than £3,000 pledged by well-wishers.
Meanwhile, bookworms at a Greenock primary school had a terrific time as they celebrated their top tales.
Youngsters from St Mary’s Primary, on Patrick Street, were among hundreds of pupils across the area who were taking part in events to mark World Book Day.
The school had lined up a whole host of activities to mark the occasion and all the well-read youngsters got right into the spirit of things.
Elsewhere, shoppers at the Oak Mall were warned about the terrible consequences of fire in an exhibition toured by local firefighters.
The contents of a burned-out living room were put on display in the Mall, in an attempt to encourage the public to ensure their homes were properly protected, and to shake the complacency that had seen 19 fire related deaths in Strathclyde in a year.
In other news, Inverclyde Council’s leader and the Provost had both declared strong support for the Tele’s Stop Knives Save Lives drive.
The Tele had begun distributing car stickers bearing the campaign slogan, along with the telephone number for Crimestoppers — in a bid to encourage people to report knife-carrying and make local streets safer.
Council leader Stephen McCabe insisted that the message was of vital importance — and told the Tele he was pleased to get involved.
Mr McCabe said at the time: “It is vital we send out a clear message that carrying knives is unacceptable in a civilised society.”
Provost Michael McCormick was also fully behind the initiative.
He said at the time: “Anything that gets the message across that carrying a knife is totally unacceptable in our society is to be welcomed.
In sport, following on from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the Royal Caledonian Curling Club had sponsored and organised a Come and Try Sessions at the Waterfront Leisure and Fitness Centre.
Plenty of RCCC coaches were on hand to help introduce everyone to the sport of curling.
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