George & Mollie Ward

George and Mollie Ward came to live at Lane Cottage, Church Lane, Lacey Green n 1971.

George Ward was Elected onto the Parish Council by 1991. In 1995 he represented the Parish Council on the Village Hall Committee.

Hallmark Januay 1991. Young Designers Help Handicapped People. Report by George C. Ward – Bucks Association for Gardening with Disabled People.

The concern for disabled and elderly people is, happily, ever-increasing together with their encouragement for self-help. The greater involvement of young people will ensure even more future adults being involved, resulting in the less active living fuller lives.

A good example are the 11-12 year olds at St. John's Church of England (V.A.) Combined School, who selected Disabled People as the theme for their first term project. Supported by an understanding teacher they decided to analyse the needs of disabled people of all ages and limitations and to design tools/equipment for their use.

I was invited to discuss the gardening potential of the target group and share the experience of the Bucks Association for Gardening with Disabled People – but had not anticipated the depth of sensitivity and practical ideas of this age group. (For this report in full click Lacey Green School an scroll down to Hallmak January 1991)

Hallmark December 1993. Clem Browns Meets George Ward

For the first time I have me a specialist in industrial relations, one who has spent virtually the whole of his career in that field. He is George Ward who lives with his wife Molly in Church Lane. I suppose by rights he would have retired long ago, but calls for his knowledge and experience persisted, as is often the case for anyone who is well known for accessibility and practical flair.

Although a long-term resident of Lacey Green, settled here for 22 years, George came from Liverpool in 1957 (plus a stay in Doncaster) when he joined the London HQ – Of an industrial concern to concentrate on training, and in turn became consultant to the Glass Manufacturers' ‘Federation. Then he was asked to help start one of the new Industrial Training Boards, in this instance a set-up covering five major industries. Looking at early influences, George suffered tuberculosis when in his 20's but the inevitable career delays actually led to new contacts and certainly time to plan, and in due course to accident investigation for insurers. Around the end of the war things perked up and he was attracted into personal management - and never looked back. He learned much, including the merit of – combining discipline in tricky industrial situations with an ability to keep a discreet friendly and personal contact with employees.

Only months before he was due to retire in 1978 George met some government pundits launching a scheme for furthering the talents of young late developers in industry. So he worked on for several more years and enjoyed a fresh coverage of many trades and industries – and even professional football. How? He was called in by Cardiff City F.C. to advise. Central was the fostering of employees' awareness of what went on in the wider world of working life – a sort of confidence booster.

So George retired from it all, but without a hint or two of working needs. George Ward is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and had been an assessor for the RSA exams board, working with teachers, employers and the young.

Local interests include being a member of the Lacey Green Parish Council, Princes Risborough Rotary Club and Neighbourhood Watch – plus Bucks Association for Gardening with the Disabled.