Template:60Years 1966

 ~ 1966 ~ Under producer Peter Eckersley, the Glad Tidings Mission Hall and Elliston's Raincoat Factory were revitalised. The factory - which had been ignored since 1963 - re-opened as a manufacturer of PVC hats and coats, with Lucille Hewitt and Irma Barlow securing jobs as welders. Julie Goodyear was cast as Bet Lynch, a colleague who had an affair with manager Jack Benjamin and gave Lucille a black eye. Another member of the workforce was Sheila Birtles, seen for the first time since 1963.

The mission's role was similarly expanded with Ruth Winter installed as community social worker, appointed by the council to transform the establishment into a community centre, much to the chagrin of caretaker Ena Sharples. This was an attempt to reflect modern Britain by reducing the mission's role as a place of worship, paving the way for its eventual demolition in 1968. Colette O'Neil was firmly established in the programme as Ruth, appearing in 21 episodes before writers changed course and wrote the character out, with the community centre moving to Chester Street. With H.V. Kershaw returning as producer, the status quo was quickly restored at the mission and the factory was again relegated to the occasional mention.  ''To celebrate 60 years of Coronation Street on television, we're going through the programme's entire history a year at a time. The full version of this article can be found here. Check back on 19th February for 1967!''