The village of Woodborough

History

In 1894, The Local Government Act created Civil Parishes. Until that time, the governance of villages in England had been the responsibility of the Parochial Church Councils, so this separation of church from state was a major change. Whilst Parochial Church Councils remain very much in situ, the responsibility for the administration and wellbeing of villages is in the hands of the Parish Councils. The very early minute books for Woodborough date from the late 1800's, and are beautifully hand written. You can find further reading on the (general) history of Woodborough here.

Woodborough Village Defibrillators

The village has two Defibrillators (also known as AED's - Automatic External Defibrillators) that are kept in unlocked blue cabinets and are accessible to everybody 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They are sited at:

The Parish Room, on the left hand side of the main door, postcode SN9 5PH. The Parish Room is at the junction of the two footpaths labelled WBORO10 and WBORO11, which leaves the main road through the village, at the noticeboard. The footpaths can be seen on this map

To the right-hand side of the front door at The Woodborough Social Club in Smithy Lane, post code SN9 5PL.

Our Two Defibrillators ;

- are ALWAYS READY FOR USE

- are checked weekly and are recorded on a national database

- have their batteries and pads replaced regularly - every two or three years

- have their cabinets and the actual machines sprayed with disinfectant weekly

They are very sophisticated pieces of equipment supplied by the South West Ambulance Trust, and will talk the user through the process - it is not possible for them to deliver a 'shock' when it is not required.

Neighbourhood Development Order (NDO)

An NDO was started in February 2016 to try and solve the parking problems in the vicinity of the School in Broad Street, but was terminated in December 2016 with no firm outcomes. If there is sufficient support from the community, the parish council may consider undertaking a 'Neighbourhood Plan' which, of course, is a completely different exercise to an NDO. Anyone who would like to be involved on a Steering Group should contact the Clerk to the Council.

The Parish Room

Set back from the main road through the village, close to St Mary Magdalene Church, is the Parish Room. It is a small, rather charming mid-Victorian building, once owned by the Diocese, and is now owned and managed by the Parochial Church Council (PCC). It has one main hall accommodating about 60 people seated for a meeting, and about 40 people seated for a meal. From time to time a themed dinner is held in order to raise funds for the upkeep of the building. There are two loos and a small kitchen with cooking facilities.

The parish council holds it meetings in the parish room, and the Annual Parish Meeting is held here. There is a small car park alongside the parish room, and some further parking about 50 yards away by the church. There is a Coffee Morning on the first Wednesday of the month - see below. The building can be hired from £8.00 an hour (depending on the event) and can be booked via facebook or by emailing Woodboroughpr@gmail.com

Coffee Mornings

There is a Coffee Morning in the Parish Room on the first Wednesday of the month from 10:30 for about a couple of hours. Coffee and tea are free but people are asked to make a small contribution towards the costs. There is usually excellent home- made cake and biscuits on offer! Any changes to the times or dates this are usually put on the small noticeboard on the wall by the door to the Parish Room.

Road Problems, Potholes and That Sort of Thing

Anyone can report problems with roads, pavements, street lighting, pot holes and a whole lot more direct to Wiltshire Council, using their efficient online service. If there is a major problem, you can also let the parish council know about it by emailing the Parish Clerk.

Around the village