A wonderful woman and devoted mother
We hope that some who pass this plaque and are intrigued to scan the QR code may have known Barbara Wood. She could be seen in all weathers and times of the day walking her dogs on this golf course. The last of a long line of dogs being Tilly, a rather wilful Whippet.
Barbara passed away in Oldham General at the height of the covid pandemic and was denied the dignities of a proper passing. We resolved at the time to establish a public memorial to her rather than a stone in some far away cemetery. We hope these trees will thrive and become a symbol of the strong upright decent person she was.
Barbara's Story
Born on the 12th of November 1933 in a modest house in Cutgate, the youngest of three. She survived having two older brothers (Geoff and Keith) and enjoyed what she always said was a happy childhood.
Like so many of her generation she was in part formed by WWII and the privations and fear it brought. Only six when war was declared it nevertheless had a lasting impact on her. Barbara attended the Girls High School (now Falinge Park High School) and was academically gifted. However, her real talents were in sport where she excelled in athletics, hockey, cricket amongst many.
And that's a great thing about Barbara, one worthy of emphasis. She was a pioneer - someone who didn't care that some in the late 1940's felt it inappropriate for women to play cricket or drive cars (she passed her test when she was 17).