The next time you are stuck in a Reading traffic jam spare a thought that nearly 30 years ago your commute into town could have been very different.

Incredible as it may seem Berkshire County Council was planning a London Docklands style 'railway on stilts' through the town centre to ease future traffic congestion.

This hi-tech alternative was to eventually link Wokingham and Bracknell so that-by the 21st century-the electric train would help ease the predicted traffic growth in the whole area.

The plans hit the buffers-but things could have been very different today had this ambitious rail system actually been built.

The Reading Chronicle reported with great delight in March 1988 that the Royals had lifted the Simod Cup at Wembley Stadium and the sports editor used up a complete dictionary of superlatives to describe their dazzling performance.

Eventually winning 4-1, the fixture did not start well as their opponents Luton Town scored first but-as the Chron's headline proudly announced-the Royals fans did indeed have a 'super Sunday'.

Wokingham Town FC were also dreaming of a visit to the 'twin towers' of Wembley as they were drawn against Macclesfield Town in the quarter -final of the FA Trophy.

This tie was the furthest the club had ever progressed in any competition in its 113 year history.

Speaking to the News their manager Roy Merryweather chose to paraphrase Winston Churchill by saying:”We have our finest hour to come”.

A rare sundial on a Crowthorne hotel was raising many eyebrows that month as after being rediscovered following tree clearance work.

A fair amount of detective work then ensued as nobody could understand the strange figures used to estimate the time of day-but eventually a new 'Gnomon' (the pointer rod that casts a shadow) was placed in the centre and it all made sense.

Berkshire Ambulance Service opened its new control centre in Wokingham 29 years ago having moved lock, stock and barrel from Bracknell to its newly equipped headquarters.

The move was a direct consequence of the pressure its previous system endured during the Hungerford massacre in 1987.

In an interview the News' chief officer Keith Nutall explained:”The new control will make the service better equipped to deal with any similar disaster".

The Slough Observer reported that a crowd of over 400 people gathered to see Liverpool family the Waltons and their sex-tuplets girls open a new Co-op Superstore.

Janet and Graham Walton and their famous daughters handed out free gifts to eight local mothers who had given birth on Mothers Day at Wexham Park Hospital.

Spirits were high at the Alpha Arms in Slough as they celebrated winning pub of the year and landlady Muriel Ogden raised a glass or two with the Mayor and local CAMRA chairman Tony Dawes.

However, all was not well nearby at Slough's post office headquarters as a so-called 'skiving check' had been undertaken on mourners attending the funerals of two co-workers.

Local postmen were reportedly angry and insulted as they were asked to supply a list of staff that were going to attend the funerals.

Head postmaster Doug Swanson denied claims that workers were being checked for 'skiving' and told the Observer: "This was nothing out of the ordinary - I did not want to see 158 postmen shove off and cause our service to the customers to suffer."

Replying to this statement local union official David Stock stated: "We heard they were going to take a list of those attending and tick them off as they arrived - I didn't see it myself - but wouldn't be surprised if it happened."