WPC Waddington

WPC Waddington Waddington Parish Council works to make village life the best it can be. Proudly supporting our community – and the Best Kept Village in Lancashire!

About Waddington Parish Council

Waddington Parish Council serves the people who live and work in our beautiful village. Our aim is to preserve and improve the quality of rural life in the Parish, maintaining public spaces, protecting our heritage, and supporting environmental and community initiatives—all while respecting our special location within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We meet

monthly in the Refectory at St Helen’s Church, at which times there is an opportunity for residents to speak under “Public Participation”. If you have questions, feedback or ideas about village life—amenities, planning, services—please get in touch with us via our contact form.

Next week, the bell ringers of St Helen’s Church, Waddington, will mark the 100th anniversary of the first recorded peal...
03/06/2026

Next week, the bell ringers of St Helen’s Church, Waddington, will mark the 100th anniversary of the first recorded peal rung on the church bells.

On Saturday 20 March 1926, members of The Lancashire Association rang a peal of Bob Minor consisting of 5,040 changes in 2 hours and 56 minutes at the Church of St Helen. The performance was later published in The Ringing World on 26 March 1926.

The band consisted of:
• Albert Yates (treble)
• Roland Hall
• Arthur Ingham
• John Hirst
• Fred Read
• Laurence J. Williams (tenor)

The peal was conducted by Laurence J. Williams.

The report notes that this was the “first peal on these bells”, which had been cast in 1774 by Pack & Chapman. Arthur Ingham was from Church Kirk, with the remainder of the band from Rishton.

A peal is one of the great traditions of English change ringing and consists of at least 5,040 different changes rung continuously, usually taking around three hours to complete.

The bells heard in Waddington today are not the same ring. The current bells were cast by John Taylor & Co. and installed in 1972. Since then, further peals have been successfully rung at St Helen’s in 1983, 1989 and most recently in 2022, marking the 50th anniversary of the current bells.

The current ringing team at St Helen’s is led by Tower Captain Anita Bater and includes Jack Rawcliffe, Robin Hatherell, Waddington Parish Council’s Cllr Janet Greenhalgh, Cllr Moira Rawcliffe and Chair John Rattigan, who recently achieved his ART Level 1 Bell Handling Certificate.

To celebrate the centenary, special ringing will take place at St Helen’s from 6pm on Wednesday 10 June.

Ringers from across the area are expected to take part in the celebrations, with towers including Whalley, Clitheroe, Waddington, Gisburn, Bolton-by-Bowland, Barnoldswick and Burnley already represented.

The accompanying archive image records the original 1926 peal, alongside a photograph of St Helen’s Church taken in 2022.

Peal details from The Ringing World, 26 March 1926, Vol XXI, p.195.

Entries are now open for the 2026 Waddington Scarecrow Festival. Enter here: https://forms.gle/W6L3CSsxyD69qamT7⭐️ Pasti...
02/06/2026

Entries are now open for the 2026 Waddington Scarecrow Festival. Enter here: https://forms.gle/W6L3CSsxyD69qamT7

⭐️ Pastimes and Hobbies ⭐️ This year’s scarecrow festival is a celebration of the hobbies, interests and community spirit that continue to bring people together today. Inspired by a very special milestone in Waddington’s history, this year marks 100 years since villagers came together to create The Reading Room in 1926

And as this is the 25th anniversary of the Waddington Scarecrow Festival, we would LOVE to beat our record of 100 scarecrows across the village!

No outdoor space? No problem!

This year, the Waddington Community Orchard will be available as a shared display location for residents and businesses who would still like to take part. Simply let us know when submitting your entry.

Judging Categories...

🔹 Little Scarecrow Prize - For children aged 12 and under.

🔹 Village Favourite Prize - For residents and families creating a scarecrow at home.

🔹 Community Spirit Prize - For local clubs, schools, organisations and groups working together.

🔹 Best Dressed Business Certificate - For local businesses and pubs taking part in the trail.

Scarecrows should be displayed from 10am on Saturday 27 June.

📋 Entry deadline: 19th June
https://forms.gle/W6L3CSsxyD69qamT7

Let’s fill Waddington with creativity, colour and community spirit once again. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Please be aware that an emergency temporary road closure is now in place on Clitheroe Road, from the junction with Waddo...
01/06/2026

Please be aware that an emergency temporary road closure is now in place on Clitheroe Road, from the junction with Waddow View travelling north towards Waddington Village Club, to allow urgent utility works to be carried out.

The closure came into effect at 3:00pm on Monday 1 June and will remain in place until 11:59pm on Thursday 4 June, or until the works are completed.

A signed diversion route will be in place.

We understand this closure began with little notice and may cause inconvenience for residents and visitors. Please allow extra time for journeys and follow all signed diversion routes.

Lancashire County Council has advised that the closure is necessary to facilitate urgent utility works.

Further information:
Lancashire County Council Roadworks & Traffic Regulation Orders https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/roads/roadworks-and-traffic-regulation-orders/

Want to know if there are swifts nesting near you?Start by checking the RSPB Swift Mapper, available online and as a mob...
01/06/2026

Want to know if there are swifts nesting near you?

Start by checking the RSPB Swift Mapper, available online and as a mobile app:
https://www.swiftmapper.org.uk/

The purpose of Swift Mapper is to record the locations of nesting swifts across the UK. It helps build a picture of where nesting swifts are concentrated, enabling local conservation efforts to be focused in the right places for these incredible birds.

Then keep an eye out for their dark, scythe-shaped silhouettes cutting across the sky, their high-pitched calls, and their fast, low flights around rooftops, especially on warm, dry evenings. You might also spot their famous “fighter jet” formations.

We’d love to know what you find.

Please remember, swift behaviour is very weather dependent. If it’s cold, wet or windy, they may be much harder to spot as they rest in nests, feed around large bodies of water, or head somewhere warmer.

Lancashire County Council has a Technology Enabled Care (TEC) service that helps people live safely and independently at...
01/06/2026

Lancashire County Council has a Technology Enabled Care (TEC) service that helps people live safely and independently at home and in the community.

The service includes personal alarms and home sensors linked to a 24/7 response centre, giving reassurance to individuals, families and carers that help is available when needed.

TEC can support people at risk of falls, seizures, smoke, gas leaks, flooding and other incidents at home.

From April 2026, weekly charges are:
Level one – Monitoring service: £4.40 per week
Level two – Responder service: £6.06 per week
Level three – Premium service: £9.92 per week

Find out more here: https://orlo.uk/u92Q6

This week marks Volunteers’ Week, a national celebration recognising the incredible people who give their time, energy a...
31/05/2026

This week marks Volunteers’ Week, a national celebration recognising the incredible people who give their time, energy and care to support communities across the UK.

Here in Waddington, we are fortunate to have so many individuals and groups who quietly make a huge difference every single day.

Whether it’s the volunteers behind Waddington Football Club and Cricket Club, members of the WI, those caring for Waddington Coronation Gardens and the Village Orchard, the people organising events like Waddy Ducks, supporting village life at Waddington Village Club and the Almshouses, helping keep neighbours informed through Waddington Village Watch, supporting our churches, leading Brownies and youth groups like Waddow Hall, serving on committees, maintaining shared spaces, or giving their time as Parish Councillors, every single contribution helps make Waddington the special community it is.

Communities do not thrive by accident. They thrive because people step forward, get involved, and care about the place they call home.

On behalf of Waddington Parish Council, thank you to every volunteer who gives their time to support village life. Your efforts, big and small, are genuinely appreciated and do not go unnoticed.

We would also love to see even more people getting involved across all generations. Whether you have an hour a month to spare, a particular skill to share, or simply want to help support village life, there are plenty of ways to contribute and meet others within the community.

If you would like to register your interest in volunteering or supporting local projects, please complete our volunteer interest form:

Volunteer Interest Form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfm0KWYV-1256Ka3lSvSoZliRRQURaTSauGZr68K2fq5zTp8Q/viewform?

If you volunteer in any way within our community, this week is for you. Thank you for helping make Waddington what it is.

30/05/2026

May in the Waddington Coronation Gardens

A little moment of calm in the heart of the village. Sunshine dancing on the brook, flowers in full bloom, and the gardens looking their absolute best this May. A perfect reminder of why this special space is loved by so many.

On this day in 1953, Waddington officially opened the new Coronation Bridge and gardens as part of the village celebrati...
30/05/2026

On this day in 1953, Waddington officially opened the new Coronation Bridge and gardens as part of the village celebrations marking the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The stone bridge, formally opened by Mr John Watson of Waddington Old Hall, became the centrepiece of Waddington’s permanent Coronation memorial and replaced the old rustic wooden bridge which had once crossed the brook in the centre of the village.

The story behind the Waddington Coronation Gardens began several years earlier. When the Watson family purchased Waddington Old Hall in 1950, the land across the stream had become neglected and overgrown. Children played among the wilderness of shrubs and grasses where earlier formal gardens had once stood.

As Waddington began planning celebrations for the Coronation, Mr Watson offered the land to the village on the condition it would be maintained for the community. The idea was eagerly embraced, especially following the success of Waddington’s Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951, which had already shown what the village could achieve when people worked together.

What followed was an extraordinary community effort. Villagers organised whist drives, dances, jumble sales, potato pie suppers, coffee evenings and fundraising events to raise the money needed for the project. Residents donated plants and shrubs, while volunteers gave their time to help create the gardens.

For a village the size of Waddington, the plans were described in newspapers as highly ambitious. By the time of the opening, more than £500 had been raised through public subscriptions and fundraising.

The official celebrations on 30th May included:
• sports events in the hospital grounds
• free teas for village children
• souvenir Coronation books presented to children
• church services at St Helen's Church Waddington
• entertainment at the Methodist School
• free teas for villagers aged over 70

Photographs from the time showed the newly completed bridge decorated with bunting as residents gathered to celebrate. Newspapers described it as a “delightful addition” to Waddington and a “worthy memento of Coronation Year.”

Hidden inside one of the bridge pillars, builders placed Coronation coins together with the names of those who helped construct the bridge — a small time capsule from 1953 that still lies there today.

The project did not end with the opening ceremony. In the years that followed, the Coronation Gardens became one of Waddington’s best-known and most admired landmarks. By the late 1950s, visitors arriving in the village were already praising the famous Coronation Bridge and gardens.

Over the decades, generations of volunteers continued to care for and improve the area. Clitheroe Young Farmers Club Farmers s helped clean and maintain the gardens in the 1980s, while anniversary celebrations in the 1990s paid tribute both to Queen Elizabeth II and to the villagers who had worked tirelessly to preserve the gardens since 1953. Contact the Waddington Coronation Gardens if you have some spare time to help.

More than seventy years later, Coronation Bridge and the surrounding gardens remain one of Waddington’s most recognisable and cherished community spaces — a lasting reminder of village pride, voluntary effort and the spirit of Coronation Year.

Do you have any photographs or memories of the Coronation celebrations or the gardens through the years? We would love to see them.

We could attempt a Whist Drive or Potato Pie Supper but in the meantime it would be great if you could help the volunteers keep this legacy alive. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-waddingtons-coronation-gardens (Historic postcard image of Coronation Bridge and Old Hall, Waddington. Image believed to originate from the Francis Frith Collection. Shared for local historical interest only. All rights remain with the original copyright holder where applicable.)

Official Tour de France volunteer registration...As many residents will already know, the Tour de France Grand Départ 20...
29/05/2026

Official Tour de France volunteer registration...

As many residents will already know, the Tour de France Grand Départ 2027 route is set to pass through Waddington as riders take on the famous Côte de Waddington climb on Saturday 3rd July 2027.

Organisers are now recruiting thousands of volunteers, known as JOY Makers, to help support this once-in-a-lifetime event across the route. Volunteers will help welcome visitors, support spectators and contribute to the atmosphere as the world’s biggest cycling race comes through Lancashire.

No previous experience is required and anyone aged 16 or over by 1st April 2027 can apply.

Anybody wishing to volunteer can register their interest at www.letourgb.com/volunteer/ until 1st September.

Address

St Helens Church Waddington Road
Clitheroe
BB73HS

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