Tributes are paid to former mayor

Peter Woodward – a previous mayor of Biggleswade and father of current incumbent Tim Woodward – passed away earlier this month following an illness.

A Biggleswade Town Councillor for the last five years, Peter, of Drove Road, had been suffering from lung cancer.

Peter was also president of the Biggleswade Probus Club and a governor at Stratton Upper School, having previously served on Arlesey Town Council. He moved to Biggleswade from Arlesey with his wife Margaret, known as Maggie, eight years ago,

The devoted family man – a father of two and grandfather of six – was active in the community for much of his life.

Before he and Maggie moved to Chronicle Country they lived in Hitchin.

Born in Sheffield, Peter’s parents later moved to Letchworth and he studied child psychology at University College London.

He became a lab technician on leaving university and later moved into the pharmaceuticals industry, working in sales and marketing.

Peter met Maggie when they both worked in Hitchin and they were married in 1964, going on to have two children, Tim and Victoria, known as Tori.

Tim paid tribute to a man who gave up so much of his time for the community and was always loving and dutiful to his family too.

He said: “He was a family man first and foremost but he was involved with a lot of different clubs and organisations, as well as the school and councils.

“He was always very devoted in everything he did.”

Madeline Russell, a Biggleswade Town Councillor and chairman of the governors at Stratton Upper said: “Peter was a lovely man who did so much for the school and for the council as well.

“He had quite a lot of responsibility and different roles as a governor, one of which was as chairman of the exclusions panel.

“This is a very difficult job but one he always handled with sensitivity, good judgement and a real sense of duty to the school and students’ welfare.

“He will be greatly missed.”

Stratton Upper School headteacher Rob Watson said: “Peter had served as a governor at Stratton Upper School for a number of years and made an outstanding contribution to the development of the school and more latterly the Stratton Education Trust.

“His contribution, wisdom and humour will be greatly missed.”

Former deputy headteacher Kate Smith said: “What a gentleman he was and in every sense of the word.

“I really appreciated his genuine support for the school and, most particularly, his interest in and concern for the students, many of whom faced real challenges and complexities.”

Peter’s funeral took place at Harwood Park Crematorium in Stevenage on Thursday (January 24) followed by a wake at Biggleswade Conservative Club.