3. Wilsden Village Society
Wilsden Village Society?
A shorter version of the notice to local organisations was delivered to almost every house:
The Problem
The recent expansion of Wilsden, bringing many outsiders to the village, together with the heart of the old village slowly disappearing, will, if nothing is done to incorporate the newcomers into a community, eventually lead to Wilsden becoming a commuter suburb of Bradford and Bingley.
A village society can help to prevent this.
The Aim
To promote recreational, social and cultural activities.
To investigate the feasibility of a community centre.
To consider the future growth of Wilsden, and represent public opinion to the planning authorities and to make other representation on behalf of the people of Wilsden.
Public Meeting
A Public Meeting will be held on Tuesday 27th January 1970 at 7.30pm at Royd House, Wilsden.
Please come along, show your support. There is much we could do. Be prepared to help. Don’t just grumble when nothing is done.
The upstairs room at Royd House was filled to capacity by 150 people, some of them representing other village organisations. Counc. Calvert chaired the meeting at which three members of the steering group spoke before opening it up to general discussion.
Peter Booth, a member of a long-standing Wilsden family, asked that one priority should be to reclaim the Mechanics Institute by appointing new trustees. It seemed not to be owned by anyone now that all the earlier trustees had died and its committee was almost defunct following the recent death of one of the few remaining members.
Counc. Tyler explained how there was already the opportunity to influence future development of the village. The local planning authority was making a survey with the intention of producing a map showing future development and the county assistant planning officer had asked for help, which a village society could give.
Marcus Catling spoke as a member of the Hebble Bus Action Committee, formed a few months previously because of dissatisfaction with the local bus service. His committee had put the village case to the Traffic Commissioners with the result that recent fare increases were not as high as they would have been. It was decided that the Bus Action Committee should become part of a village society if one were to be formed.
It was agreed that a village society should be set up, with the aims as proposed:
1. To promote the recreational, social and cultural welfare of the village and to encourage village activities in this respect.
2. 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.
3. To hold such public meetings as may from time to time seem desirable for the debating of vital issues affecting the village.
4. 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.
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The suggested committee, which almost unchanged became the main, or general committee of the society, was asked to draw up a constitution and bring this to the official inaugural meeting.
The officers proposed were president, Mrs. Barrie Downs; vice-presidents, Counc. Mrs. Emily Hall and Mr. Reginald H.Fawcett; chairman, Counc. Maurice Calvert; vice-chairmen, Mr. Peter Booth and Mr. Marcus Catling; secretaries, Mrs. Anne Lloyd and Mrs. Janet Catling; treasurer, Mr. John Hansen; legal adviser Counc. Gerald Tyler.
Counc. Calvert had not had the opportunity to ask Mr. Fawcett, who was not at the meeting and subsequently declined to hold office, although supportive of the society’s work. Mrs. Lloyd became secretary of the planning sub-committee.
Names were recorded of those willing to serve as committee members and those who would form social and planning sub-committees to share out the work.
On Thursday April 9th 1970, a well-attended first annual general meeting was held in what was then the County Primary School on Tweedy Street. The rules and constitution of the new society were put to the meeting and approved and members of the steering group and embryonic sub-committees reported on actions already taken. Funds were needed right from the start for postage, printing and room-hire, and a jumble sale and whist drive had raised £68.
Mrs Downs had kindly offered to make a room available for committee meetings. Mrs. Downs was the widow of George Downs of the textile firm of Downs Coulter, which operated Spring Mill for many years. Mrs Downs still lived in Spring Mill House, which had one room directly accessible by a flight of steps from the mill yard and this became a most useful base for the work of all the various sub-committees for several years at no charge other than anything members chose to put in a collecting box for RSPB.
The secretary had written to the clerks of Bingley Urban District Council and the County Council and the Area Planning Officer for the County Authority to notify them that Wilsden Village Society had been established.
Counc.Tyler, who was chairman of Bingley Planning sub-committee, reported that the County planning authority had agreed to cooperate with the village society and encourage public participation in drawing up a plan for Wilsden. Areas of Main Street that would benefit from a clean up were being identified. The planning committee would divide their forces between a clean up campaign and production of a village plan. The social committee were to investigate the condition and potential use of the Mechanics Institute, working with Tom Hargreaves, the remaining member of the Mechanics Committee. They hoped to be able to use a room for a youth club almost at once, while considering further the future of the building as a village hall. This committee would also consult with church authorities since some of the village churches were considering a new building, which might incorporate a hall.
The structure of the society worked well, unchanged for many years. The president served for renewable three-year terms, giving continuity since, for at least the first decade, most other officers changed annually. The chairman of the society was also chairman of the general committee. This was the body which framed the overall policy of the society and had overall control of its finance. It was the only committee with a restricted membership, comprising officers of the society including its sub-committees, with a few places to be filled by election at the annual general meeting of particularly keen members who did not yet hold office. This ensured the general committee was made up of those who were taking responsibility for areas of work. The sub-committees were open ended, for any members with an interest in that particular aspect, no nomination or election needed, just a willingness to be involved. The first of these were planning, social and transport (formed from the Bus Action Committee).
Although the village hall was the biggest and most conspicuous single achievement and will be described in some detail, it was the planning committee that formed the backbone of WVS and continued to have impact on the development of the village throughout the 37 years of the life of the society.
This openness of the sub-committees and the expectation that there would be a steady turn-over of officers helped to guard against any tendency to exclusiveness or the formation of cliques. The society was non-party political, neither excluding nor including on the basis of party affiliation.
