It's been an eventful year for Bury.

Take a look back at the biggest stories of the year in our annual roundup...

January- March:

“There will never be another one like him”- Hundreds of people took to the streets of Ramsbottom in tribute to Steve Dyson, who was found dead in the river Irwell on January 6. He was last seen on New Year’s Day and an inquest into his death found that he drowned after an assault. Friends and family of Steven were joined by members of the community in a procession of mourners carrying biodegradable green balloons. Steven’s mother said that this was her way of thanking the community for their support in the search for Steven following his disappearance. Bury MP James Firth was also in attendance.

“Day: A change was needed” – Bury manager Chris Lucketti became the third Bury manager to be sacked in 14 months. He had only been in charge for two months at the time. Bury chairman, Stewart Day, believed that this was the only way that Bury could avoid relegation from League one. Player-coach Ryan Lowe replaced him.

“Fireman Tony goes out in a blaze of glory!”- Greater Manchester’s longest serving firefighter bowed out of the profession after 38-years of service. The Bury man was based in Chadderton and has worked on a number of high profile cases, such as the fire at Bolton Town Hall in 1981. He was one of a rare breed of firefighters who have worked until the age of 60, with most retiring at 55.

“Potter fans dress to impress”- Over 360 Harry Potter fans flocked to Bury’s Bolton Street Station to take part in the East Lancashire Railway’s Wizard Academy. There were performances from an array of wizarding characters before boarding the steam train at platform ¾. At Ramsbottom station the wizards had to fend off several demons before travelling onto Rawtenstall in order to find the sorting hat.

April-June:

“Heads’ fears over funding”- Headteachers from across Bury warned of a funding crisis for the Borough’s schools. They said that they were majorly concerned about prolonged, significant and increased underfunding. They said that any tough decisions that had to be made as a result of this would have an impact on children. Earlier in the month Bury MP James Firth had questioned education minister, Damien Hinds, about funding for Special Education Needs in the borough.

“Still plenty to play for”- Relegation was confirmed for the Shakers in April. Boss, Ryan Lowe, wanted his team to keep playing to win for the rest of the season and to restore some pride in the team. Bury had spent three years in the third tier of English football but had struggled all season. Lowe said that his team had not shown enough fight in recent weeks and needed to take a long hard look at themselves.

“Council stays red as Labour retains control”- The Labour Party held on to control of Bury Council with a majority of 11 seats in the years local elections. There had been fears amongst the party that Anti-Semitism concerns in the Party would harm them in the election. However, they managed to hold onto 10 seats- including two in Prestwich. Labour made two surprising gains in Ramsbottom and Radcliffe North, beating the Conservatives on both occasions.

“We had a right Royal knees-up”- Schools across Bury and Radcliffe had their own Royal wedding celebrations as the country geared up to celebrate the union of Harry and Meghan. Schools held mock weddings followed by school discos and party games. Children dressed up in their best “wedding clothes” to congratulate the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their marriage.

July- September:

“Mother’s pride over star”- Bury-born Kieran Trippier became only the third Englishman in history to score in a World Cup Semi-Final, joining the ranks of Gary Lineker and Sir Bobby Charlton. The newly dubbed: “Bury-Beckham” scored the opening goal in the Three Lions Semi-Final defeat to Croatia. Trippier was part of an England team that reignited the nation’s love of the national team and really had people believing that football was coming home this summer.

“What a grand day out in sun!”- Tottington’s Big Day brought thousands of people to the annual event in the middle of the year’s heat wave. Families enjoyed live music from Tottington Public band and The Steve Ferringo Band. It was a great community event for the area and was enhanced by the great weather!

“A-level and GCSE”- Six students from Holy Cross Sixth Form College went off to Oxford and Cambridge this summer after achieving top grades in the A-Levels. Notable successes were Arthur Roadnight who achieved 3 A*’s to gain a place at Cambridge to study Linguistics. Martha Birtles also achieved 3 A*’s and gained a place at Oxford to study English Language and Literature. Heidi Drinnan at Elton High School became one of just 732 teenagers to get a clean sweep of 9’s in her GCSE’s.

“Town welcomes the world’s best black pudding throwers!”- The annual World Black Pudding Championships were held in Ramsbottom in September. This year’s winner was Andrew Ferrier, 44, from Wombourne near Wolverhampton. He followed in the footsteps of his friend Nick Pennell, who won the title last year.

October- December:

“Soldiers on the ball for challenge”- A Ramsbottom soldier was amongst a group who cycled and ran over 1,300 miles in October to deliver the match ball for the Super League Grand Final. Andrew Walton had been planning the challenge for three years. The group cycled, all from the Royal Dragoon Regiment, cycled through France and Belgium- laying wreaths at Ypres and Amiens. They then visited a number of grounds in the UK before arriving at Old Trafford to deliver the match ball for the final between Warrington and Wigan.

“Chocks away for century birthday”- A 100-year old grandmother lived one of her lifelong dreams in November by flying a plane on her birthday. Mary Bell, who lives at Lavender Hills Care Home in Ramsbottom, told staff that she had hoped to do a parachute jump. However, this was ruled out on medical grounds. Mrs Bell’s passion and curiosity for aircraft stemmed from her husband’s RAF service in the Second World War, when he maintained Lancaster Bombers.

“Dancing with Darcey!”- Bury’s Silver Swans took part in Darcey Bussell’s “Dancing to Happiness” documentary this year. The over 55s from Janet Lomas School of Dancing starred on prime-time TV practising their plies with the Strictly Come Dancing Judge. The documentary highlighted how dance can bring joy to anybody regardless of their age or reason for taking it up. The former principal of the Royal Ballet travelled up to Bury to film the group’s weekly rehearsal and even joined in with the Silver Swans.

“New Boss Aiming High”- Bury FC got a new chairman this December. Businessman Steve Dale took over from Stewart Day, after he and most of the board stepped down. The new chairman is aiming to make Bury stable and self-sufficient League One side after their relegation earlier this year. Mr Dale has also said that he wants to work more with community initiatives to help people better their own lives and the communities they live in.