Interview with Ralph Willcox part 2

In part 2 of his interview, Ralph comments further on working at MKDC, noting that he had ‘never worked in an organisation where there was such commitment and optimism’. But he notes that some MKDC staff considered ‘ that Social Development (SD) was an add-on’. Ralph comments that Peter Waterman ‘proved his worth’ as SD Director – and names other significant people: Mike Baron (football), Cindy Hargate (workshops), Peter Waugh (health liaison). Key people in the community were Matilda Kessler, Sir Peter Cleaver, Joan Butterworth (first lady mayor of MK), and David Powell, George Cook and Peter Thomas from the County Council. The Madcap project was a particular interest of Ralph’s, he was concerned about lack of youth provision in Wolverton and he recalls the acquisition of the empty, decaying building by MKDC to set up a youth project. He comments that the Council workers appointed: ‘were so enthusiastic, it was a joy’. Madcap met the needs of local people for some years; Trustees included Teresa Collard, John Fabian, Sheila (Roche) Lindsay, Geoff Cooksey. Ralph recalls playgroups and various other youth projects set up by SD in community houses on every estate. He recalls Barbara Brown, chair of the committee at York House in Stony Stratford: ‘a very grand lady!’. SD also promoted national charities, assisting formation of Marriage Guidance, Age Concern, Citizens Advice and the women’s refuge.

Ralph is a brass band enthusiast, playing in Woburn Sands brass; he mentions all the other bands developed in MK. He talks of all the bands developed in MK and recalls the national brass band festival developed by Cindy Hargate at Stantonbury, which he chaired for a while. His final comments on MK fifty years on: ‘MK is a great place to live… it’s got good facilities and I still like the grid square system of communication’. He comments: ‘Currently we’ve got a big homeless problem to deal with, it’s a sad business, but that’s society generally, not just Milton Keynes’.