11 pictures of what life was like in Walsall in 1978. Are you in any of them?

In 1978 Boney M were top of the pops, crowds flocked to the cinemas to see John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in Grease, and Ian Botham became the first England cricketer to score a century and then take eight wickets in a single test match.

It was also the year that Bruce George MP launched a charity bed push by Walsall's busmen, to raise £800 for emergency equipment at the town's general hospital.

This week, in the first of a series of features looking through our picture archives, we focus on 1978 in Walsall and the surrounding areas.

Leaving town was Dave Mackay, the former Scottish international midfielder, who had taken Walsall to sixth in the Third Division during his first season in charge at Fellows Park.

It had been quite a coup for the Saddlers to secure Mackay's services, just a couple of years after he had led Derby County to the league title. Sadly, his stay would be short-lived, having been offered £40,000 a year to move to Al-Arabi Kuwait - demonstrating that the lure of the Middle Eastern petro-dollars is not a new phenomenon in football.

Elsewhere, Willenhall's popular lock museum was about to reopen following a major revamp, while youngsters at Frank F Harrison School marked Shrove Tuesday with a traditional pancake race.

Home-made bread was all the rage in the late 1970s, as regular bakery strikes caused shortages around the region. It is not clear whether this was anything to do with the youngsters clamouring for the home-baked loaves at the St Michael and All Angels Church fair at Caldmore, but they certainly looked to be much in demand.

Work was about to commence on the new £7 million railway station above Walsall railway station in February, taking the town into a new era. Which is quite fitting, given that it will once more become the focus of the council's latest efforts to regenerate the town. The centre's construction was not without incident though, as another of these pictures illustrates.

Members of the Walsall ABC Cinema Saturday Morning Club were in party mood with a huge cake

February 14, 1978: 'Winter sports fans found it tough going on the Beacon at Walsall. There was just too little snow about for them to get up speed. But these five tobogganists were determined to enjoy their downhill run. They are, top to bottom: Amanda Williams, aged 7; Ian Mason, aged 12; Jeremy Williams, aged 13: Tracey Williams, aged 16; and Malcolm Mason, aged 20.' — Amanda Williams, aged 7; Ian Mason, aged 12; Jeremy Williams, aged 13: Tracey Williams, aged 16; and Malcolm Mason, aged 20 had fun on their toboggan while playing on Barr Beacon in February

Tradition – Pancake races in 1978 at Frank F. Harrison School, Walsall — Pupils at Frank F Harrison School were keeping an old tradition by holding a pancake race on Shrove Tuesday

Walsall railway station still looked very open when this picture was taken in February, shortly before work started on the construction of the multi-million pound Saddlers Centre. The new centre transformed the appearance of the area with shops located on a 35,000 sq ft bridge deck — Walsall railway station still looked very open when this picture was taken in February, shortly before work started on the construction of the £37 million pound Saddlers Centre. The new centre transformed the appearance of the area with shops located on a 35,000 sq ft bridge deck

Workman John Bowes, 30, escaped unhurt when a 60ft high piledriving machine he was operating toppled over while working on the £7 million new Saddlers Centre. He scrambled to safety from the driving cab of the 50-ton machine. — Workman John Bowes, 30, escaped unhurt when a 60ft high piledriving machine he was operating toppled over while working on the £7 million new Saddlers Centre. He scrambled to safety from the driving cab of the 50-ton machine in April.

Walsall manager Dave Mackay was bound for sunnier - and more lucrative - climes when this picture was taken of him leaving Fellows Park in August. He had been approached by Kuwaiti side Arabic Sporting, who were offering a reported £40,000 a year.

This picture shows staff at the William Wiggin works in Bloxwich, renowned for its stainless steel wares

Walsall's busmen were seeking to raise more than £800 to buy emergency equipment for Walsall General Hospital when they held a sponsored bed-push through the town in September. Members of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive's Walsall sports and social club pushed the two beds to Birmingham and back in less than six hours. The push was started from Walsall bus station by Walsall South MP Bruce George.

Willenhall lock museum had just benefited from a £3,000 revamp when this picture was taken in September. Museum assistants Dendra Wilkes and Dave Lewis were preparing the locks, some of which dated back to the 16th century, for the reopening.

The pathology lab at Walsall district general hospital

Youngsters were clamouring for home-made bread during the Christmas fair at St Michael and All Angels Church in Caldmore