Background Last year, the committee felt that a review of the WCC constitution was timely because Woodford has evolved and grown rapidly recently. After careful thought and scrutiny, the committee concluded that a few minor changes were needed to make it more inclusive and to bring it up to date.
In the revised constitution, all residents of Woodford who are aged 18 years or over are automatically members of the community council, which is run by the Management Committee. The role of WCC in facilitating liaison between residents and developers and promoting integration of old and new communities is included. It also acknowledges the formation of Woodford Neighbourhood Forum (WNF) and the preparation of the Woodford Neighbourhood Plan, which is now part of the Stockport Development Plan. It notes that the Community Council is working in harmony with WNF in aiming to promote and improve the social, economic and environmental well-being of Woodford by:
Actively encouraging all the Members to participate in the activities of WCC for the improvement of Woodford.
Encouraging the goodwill and involvement of the wider community.
Fostering community spirit and encouraging civic pride.
WCC will also work with WNF in promoting implementation of the policies and aspirations, which arose from consultation with residents.
Since the number of volunteers prepared to sit on the committee has fallen, the quorum for meetings has been reduced from 6 to 5 and the minimum number of meetings per year has been reduced from 5 to 4.
We are pleased to report that the revised, more inclusive constitution was approved at the AGM in November 2019 and can be viewed on our website: www.woodfordcommunity.co.uk
Future activities We are exploring ideas for an event at the Woodford Community Centre where the various local community groups can introduce themselves to new and existing residents. We are also looking into any potential to improve the footpaths around Woodford so that the countryside in our beautiful rural village is more accessible for all.
Call for committee members There are 15 places on the Management Committee and there are currently vacancies. We would like to invite anyone over the age of 18 living in Woodford to come to a meeting and see if they would like to get involved. Should you wish to find out more please send an email to: info@woodfordcommunity.co.uk.
Funding Woodford Community Council is funded by sponsorship and we thank Avro Heritage Museum and The Deanwater Hotel for their continued support, which helps to maintain our website and support our activities.
Should you know of anyone who might like to sponsor us please email: info@woodfordcommunity.co.uk
If you would like to donate money we have a Just Giving page. Click here.
Woodford History 1 Background Woodford is a settlement located on the southern boundary of the Metropolitan Borough Council of Stockport in Greater Manchester, bordering Cheshire. It is designated as Green Belt. The first impression gained by anyone passing through Woodford along the main road in a car does not reveal the true character of the place or its people. This brief overview aims to provide a deeper glimpse into the bigger picture.
Why is the ground wet? The Geology provides an explanation Woodford is 5 kilometres west of a geological fault at Poynton, where the millstone grit of the Pennines dropped by 200 metres around 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous Period. As a result, the aspect is open and flat with height in the range 90 – 95 metres above sea level. The land slopes gently down to the east, affording unobstructed views of the Pennines from many locations in Woodford, which are very much treasured by residents and visitors.
Woodford lies on an aquifer consisting of ground water held in porous sandstones laid down 200 million years ago in the Triassic period, sand and marl (a crumbly mixture of clay and limestone). The aquifer is part of a series of deep basins throughout the UK, including the Cheshire Basin, which are important sources of ground water. This is an area of high environmental sensitivity because the sandstone is formally designated as a Principal Aquifer and there is a Groundwater Source Protection Zone for a nearby public water supply abstraction. It is subject to Environment Agency groundwater protection position statements (available here). The pumping station at the end of Church Lane taps into this water. The base of the Triassic sandstone layer varies from above sea level in outcrops at the surface, such as Alderley Edge, to deeper than 2,500 m below sea level in the centre of the Cheshire Basin.
The area was covered with glacial sediments as the glaciers of the last Ice Age retreated 11,500 years ago, forming the Cheshire Plain. The soils of Woodford consist mostly of clay, with pockets of sand, including running sand, and peat. Drainage is poor and in many areas the ground becomes water-logged and prone to flooding in wet weather.
Environmental studies conducted on the former Woodford Aerodrome site confirmed that the site lies on the aquifer, consisting of permeable, solid sandstone and pebble beds with high capacity for water storage. Above this, layers of sand and gravel hold some ground water, while extensive layers of clay are impermeable with very low capacity for water storage.
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust notes that Woodford falls within the Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain National Character Area, which is described as a pastoral area of rolling agricultural plain. At the end of the last ice age, this area was largely underwater. The water eventually drained away, but it left behind a wetland landscape of meres, mosses, rivers and ponds, which is of international importance for its wetland wildlife. Remnants of some of the mosses (meres that gradually filled up with peat and then were covered by vegetation) are still here today, located near Church Lane, Hall Moss Lane and on the former aerodrome site.
Map showing location of remnants of mosses (shaded green) in Woodford Reproduced with permission from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust
More history in the next Newsletter…
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