2. A Village Society for Wilsden?
A Village Society for Wilsden?
The Problem
Since
the spate of new building in Wilsden and the influx of people having no
real family connections with the village, it has become clear that
something must be done to involve newcomers in village life and to
engender some kind of community atmosphere. It is an unfortunate fact
that for various reasons the heart of the village is slowly dieing and
we believe there is a real possibility that with the passage of time the
village will become little more than a commuter suburb of Bradford or
Bingley and that its essential character as a lively village will
disappear.
The Aim
What
we feel is necessary is to form a Society truly representative of
village people and village life which has the following aims
a) to promote the recreational social and cultural welfare of the village and to encourage village activities in this respect
b)
to provide so far as possible or to procure the provision of the
facilities that are at present lacking in the village for example a
village hall or community centre.
c) to hold such public meetings as may from time to time seem desirable for the debating of vital issues affecting the village.
d)
to consider the future growth of Wilsden as a community and to
represent public opinion in discussion with the Local Authority, County
Council or similar bodies.
The Means
We
believe such a Society could if properly run help to play an important
part in reviving and promoting interest in village life as a whole. But
we are firmly of the view that it must be truly representative of the
various bodies and groups in the village at present and that a combined
front will not only benefit the various bodies and groups themselves but
by concerting our efforts will benefit Wilsden as a community.
Royd
House and its grounds were given by the mill-owning Ambler family in
1919 for the benefit of the people of Wilsden. It provided a reading
room, housed a bowls club, was the venue for a baby clinic, and had
rooms available for small meetings. Some years later, Bradford
Metropolitan District Council sold the house but most of the grounds
remain as part of Wilsden Park.
Encouraged
by reactions at that meeting, some of the initiators of the idea and
one or two others suggested by them, met in Royd House as a steering
committee on 15th Jan 1970.
Those
present were Counc. Tyler, Peter Booth, John Hansen, David Varley,
Marcus Catling, Anne Lloyd and Janet Catling. Apologies from Counc.
Calvert and Eric Marsh. These people, with Counc. Hall and the vicar
were to arrange the date and format of a public meeting, propose the
aims of the society as set out by Counc. Tyler, and suggest names for a
first set of officers and committee members.
A
conclusion reached at the steering meeting set the tone for the
society’s approach to its role and underlay much of its future success.
When the question of the Maud Report on local government reorganisation
was brought up it was quickly appreciated that a village society must
offer constructive ideas if it was to survive and be heard in the larger
administrative areas envisaged by the report.
In
addition letters of general support and apology for being unable to
attend were received from Doreen Butterfield, Reginald H.Fawcett and
J.M.Booth. (Mr. Booth sympathised with the objectives but did not hold
out much hope of success.)