I wish I could go back to 1976 for this tremendous set of January highlights in South Tyneside life

If you didn’t mind the rain, wind and snow, you were likely to have had a great day out in South Tyneside at the start of 1976.

All for one at the Crown in Jarrow

The Crown in Jarrow was showing a film called The Four Musketeers which had a star-studded cast of Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway and Oliver Reed.

It was showing at 7pm each night with a 1.15pm Saturday matinee.

But if you preferred to stop in, you could watch the telly and some of the highlights that year included Fawlty Towers and the Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC2.

‘It’s your turn to pop the question’

The Sea Hotel in South Shields was encouraging women to come in and book up their wedding reception - because it was a Leap Year which meant they could do the proposing to their loved ones.

‘It’s your turn to pop the question’ said the advert in the Shields Gazette.

Just down the road, Hughie Green, of Opportunity Knocks fame, was opening the new Queensway furniture store in Castletown, Sunderland.

Banging the goals in once more

Or if football was more your thing, Super Mac had just returned to goal scoring for Newcastle United.

Malcolm Macdonald had been on a barren run over the previous weeks, managing only one goal in 16 games.

But a brace in a 5-0 FA Cup Fourth Round replay drubbing of Coventry City restored normal service.

Share your memories of South Tyneside life in 1976 by emailing [email protected]