25 Years Ago-February 16, 1979.

FOR six years Jan, the red setter, has been a top mountain rescue dog, taking part in 50 searches and, with her owner Malcolm Grindrod, has found 20 people.

Now she is going into retirement and to mark her years of service she was invited down to Crufts to take part in the show's personality parade.

Jan, now aged nine, has confounded the critics who would not have thought the breed capable of such a demanding job.

"They are not easy to train," said Malcolm. "But if you can get them working you get a very good dog."

Now Jan is, unfortunately, getting too old for the winter searches and is bring retired to the Grindrod's home at Coniston. Malcolm still plans to take her on summer searches, however, along with his new rescue dog, a little Lakeland collie cur, Spindrift.

With Jan on the trip to London were two other dogs, one from Cheshire and one from Blackburn, who have seen notable service with the English Search and Rescue Dog Association.

50 Years Ago-February 13, 1954.

WHEN the first public schoolboy was sent to Coventry for the first time he would ask himself, no doubt, where was this going to end. Since then many a youth will have suffered the ostracism of his fellows but, by the tresses of Lady Godiva, would little think that Coventry would gain a name for greater reasons than a boyish habit or the glamour of a legend from medieval times. It seems, however, to have happened in a very practical way. No doubt, it will have set tongues a wagging as much in most local government centres as it has among public-spirited folk in Westmorland who take a look at rising rates and then wonder what can be done about them. Coventry's city council has appointed a town manager in the expectation of saving some £50,000 a year on administrative overheads. The scheme is backed by expert assistance from the Treasury whose advice, no doubt, would be available to other authorities if they sought it. Yet, time after time, many local councils have considered it too serious a blow to their pride to call in outside opinions.

100 Years Ago-February 13, 1904.

AT INGLETON Petty Sessions, John Howard, schoolmaster of Low Bentham, was charged with being in unlawful possession of a salmon. Mr J.T. Sanderson, solicitor to the Lune Fishery Board of Conservators, said on Sunday, January 24, the defendant saw a dead salmon lying in the River Wenning. He took the salmon, which weighed about 25lb, out and cut it in two. He then sent a boy for some brown paper and wrapped the fish in it. He afterwards handed the fish to John Holmes, son of the fish-watcher. The offence was not a very serious one, but he wished it to be known that salmon could not be taken out of the river dead or alive. The defendant admitted taking the salmon, and said it was lying two yards out of the water. He was not aware he was doing wrong in taking it. Mr Garnett, chairman: "Did you never hear it was unlawful to take salmon?" Defendant: "No, or I should not have taken it." The case was dismissed on the defendant promising to pay the costs of 11s 6d.

150 Years Ago-February 18, 1854.

ON SATURDAY morning last, a boy, eight-years-old named Joseph Braithwaite whose parents reside in Caroline Street, Kendal, was attempting to get upon the milk cart by a step suspended from the near shaft, while it was passing in front of Mr Whitwell's carpet manufactory, when his foot slipped, and he was thrown on his face under the cart, close to the horse's heels, the near wheel passing betwixt his legs and over the thickest part of his left thigh and the upper part of his left arm. The cart is the property of Robert Rawes, of Plumgarths, and is frequently heavily laden with the beverages for which he has such an extensive sale; but on this occasion fortunately it contained nothing but the churns with the milk, otherwise the injury to the boy must have been serious; or indeed with the load then on the cart had the poor little fellow been thrown on the ground in any other posture, so that the cart might have passed over almost any other parts of his body, there is very little doubt but the accident would have been fatal. As it was, the boy escaped with a couple of bruises.