I visited a South Staffordshire village full of happy and settled residents - including a famous ex-referee
Few villages can say they would maintain the same tight-knit community after quadrupling in size within the space of 70 years, but I visited somewhere that can.
Located in South Staffordshire, just four miles southwest of Wolverhampton, Wombourne was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, when it was considered to be a medium-sized village for the time.
With a growing population of around 2,000 by the middle of the 19th century, an influx of several hundred council houses in the 1950s saw Wombourne increase rapidly in size, going from 3,838 occupants in 1951 to 9,974 within the space of a decade.
As of the 2021 census the village was home to 13,800 people, 47.8 per cent of them aged 50 and over, and it is clear to see a lot of what goes on in Wombourne is aimed at that demographic.
While the sun might not have been shining down as much as in previous weeks there was still a great turnout at one of the village's most popular weekly events - the over-50s afternoon game at Wombourne Bowls Club.
One of those playing was Pat Fieldhouse, a Wombourne resident for the best part of six decades and, by all accounts, a dab hand at bowls.
"It's a very pleasant and very social event, very much [a big part of the local community] here," she said. "I've been living here since 1970 and we've got lots more housing now. There are a few estates that have been built which is just a sign of the times, isn't it?"
