Snapshots of life in Sunderland in 1972, when a big toe, Buckingham Palace and Barnes Park made an unlikely combination of headlines

Back in 1972, a band called Moving Finger made the Sunderland Echo headlines and it was all down to the lead guitarist.

Ingrowing nail became septic

Roy Bell, 27, had been suffering ever since the group performed earlier in the year in Manchester.

Roy developed trouble with an ingrowing nail. Treatment by a chiropodist had little effect and Roy’s toe turned septic.

He continued to have pain when the band moved to Wearside and so decided to call at Sunderland Royal Infirmary for an examination.

A headache for Moving Finger

Thankfully, an operation was not needed but Moving Finger were thankful for the end to a toe-related headache.

Also in the news was Barnes Park teenager Paul Naisby. The 14-year-old was chosen to represent Great Britain at swimming.

Paul was a pupil of St Thomas Aquinas RC School and grabbed attention when he competed in the short course championships at Grimsby when he clocked up world-class times in the 110 and 220 yards breaststroke.

What a year for the Commercial Road kids

A member of the Sunderland Phoenix Club, Paul was holder of the men’s Northumberland and Durham 220 yards title at the age of 14.

Paul had been swimming since he was eight-years-old, but only swam competitively from 1969.

A stay in a Kensington hotel

Just as happy were the pupils of Commercial Road Junior School who got to enjoy a trip to London.

They saw Buckingham Palace, Madame Tussaud’s, Westminster Abbey and Heathrow Airport.

They stayed at a hotel in Kensington while they saw many of the attractions of London, some of them for the first time.

Five teachers will led the party of 16 boys and 24 girls and they got to see the changing of the guard, Madame Tussaud’s waxworks, and art galleries.

It all led to a classroom display

It gave the children a chance to see the buildings they had been researching at school.

Maps and booklets had been collected to form a display in a classroom for the children to consult.

When they returned, the children set up a display in the school hall and group lessons on the visit were given to other pupils at the school.

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