Some of the biggest stories of Mansfield and Ashfield Chad's 70 year history

From double murders to Olympic success, your Chad has been at the heart of the news in our area.

We take a look back at the biggest stories that have dominated the news in the last 70 years.

Miners’ Strikes

Nottinghamshire’s proud mining heritage meant that the year-long miners strikes in 1984 were a huge news story, and is still talked about today.

The strike action was in response to the news that the Conservative government and the National Coal Board planned to close 20 mines, although rumours at the time were eventually proven in 2014 that the true figure was closer to 75.

The pickets saw violent confrontation at times during the strikes, which started in March of that year, and your Chad documented the action with a series of features and hundreds of photographs at the time.

The Beatles

In February 1963, The Beatles performed on stage at the Granada Cinema, West Gate, as a supporting act to Helen Shapiro, in the first of their two visits to Mansfield.

In the early stages of their career, the Beatles performed ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘Love Me Do’ to a sell-out crowd, which is fondly remembered by all who attended.

Beatlemania erupted a few months later and the foursome became worldwide superstars, meaning the lucky few who managed to get autographs at the Granada were quids in years later.

The Queen

During her Silver Jubilee tour in 1977, Queen Elizabeth II stopped off in Mansfield on July 28, with thousands of adoring public cramming into Mansfield town centre to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty.

During her visit, the Queen and Prince Philip opened Mansfield’s new library, a £1 million investment.

The old public library on Leeming Street was replaced with the new library on West Gate, as part of the Four Seasons Shopping Centre.

Rebecca Adlington

Mansfield was put firmly on the map for swimming back in 2008, when Rebecca Adlington stormed her way to two gold medals, the first woman to win gold for Great Britain since 1960, and the first British swimmer to win more than one gold medal at a single Olympic Games since Henry Taylor won three in 1908.

The town welcomed Rebecca back from Beijing with a huge open-top bus parade through the town, with thousands turning out to cheer on our golden girl, and Rebecca was presented with a pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes by Mayor Tony Egginton.

The Wycherley Murders

In 2012, we broke the story of two bodies being unearthed in the back garden of a quiet residential property in Forest Town.

Our Chad reporter Andy Done-Johnson spent months reporting on the grim discovery, along with the chilling story which transpired.

William and Patricia Wycherley had been murdered in their home in 1998, and their deaths covered up for financial gain for 14 years by the couple’s daughter Susan Edwards and her husband Christopher.

The couple pleaded not guilty, but were convicted of murder in a trial in 2014 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The story gained national attention, and became the subject of a number of television shows, most notably Landscapers, starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis as Susan and Christopher Edwards.

A message from Jon Ball, your Chad Editor: Enjoy our headlines with fewer distractions and sign up to a digital subscription today - fewer ads, faster load times and all of the stories you need. Your support for our journalism means we can continue supporting our communities for generations to come.

Visit chad.co.uk/subscriptions