An Outline History of Stanford in the Vale
Browse Chapters: Introduction Prehistory Romano-British Anglo-Saxon	Domesday Stanford Medieval Stanford Reformation and Tudor Stanford Civil War Stanford Early Modern Stanford	19th Century Stanford The First World War The Inter-War Years The Second World War Post-War Stanford
Church and Chapel Schools and Libraries Civic Administration Newsletters	Health and Social Services, and Young People Village Halls Fairs, Festivals and Fetes	Clubs and Societies Businesses Acknowledgements & Further Reading
Additional articles: BBC Domesday 1986	Church Green Fire 2005 Coat Of Arms	Virtual Tour 2003 The Living Churchyard (PDF)

Health and Social Services, and Young People

Dora Kinnear was the last district nurse and midwife in the village, from 1965 until 1979, when she retired; she lived at 52 Joyce's Road, which had been built as a nurse's home by Berkshire Health Department in 1962.

The house at 7 Manor Green built in about 1964 was also bought from the builders by Berks. Health Department as a nurse's home for Elizabeth Robins, and had a weekly baby clinic, with Dr. Graham Scott-Brown of Faringdon being the last to use it as such in 1984, at which time the clinic moved to the new Village Hall; before all this, the baby clinic was held in the Working Men's Club, later in St. Denys' Hall.

In about 1965, the cottage hospital in Faringdon was converted into surgeries for the new health centre. Before Nurses Robins and Kinnear came to Stanford, the village had been served, from at least 1935 to at least the 1950's, by Nurse Maud Speed, S.RN., S.C.M, who lived at 26 Church Green (before moving to Shellingford, and then to Faringdon), and then, in the early 1960's, by Nurse Stockdale, who lived in Wantage.

Nichol's Wantage and District Directory of 1914 mentions the Stanford and District Nursing Association with a Mrs. Marriott, presumably of the rectory, as the Honourable Secretary, and a Miss Roberts as District Nurse. In 1916 the Honourable Secretary was Mrs. Huntingford, wife of the Vicar, Rev. Edward Wynne Huntingford, with Miss Jenkins as District Nurse. The District Nurse in 1928 was Miss Caroline J. Bran, in 1931 Miss Doris Herrington and in 1933 Miss Hilda Kitching.

The Pre-School Playgroup Association was formed in the village in 1970, with Brenda Codd as its first chairman, and an informal Mother & Baby Group started meeting in 1975, becoming the Mother & Child Group in 1978 (although a Toddler Group had existed in 1977) and later the Babes & Toddlers Group. Although the committees for both groups continue to meet separately, for administrative purposes the two groups were merged as the Stanford in the Vale Playgroup and Toddler Group Association in 1995.A nursery school opened at Stanford Primary school in May 1996. A Babysitting Circle operated in the village from 1977 to about 1991. A Pre-School Music Group, Gym Bobs and Tumble Tots have been some of the activities available for young children now or in the recent past.

The Stanford in the Vale Scout Group reformed in 1971, although Scouts and Cubs in the village have a longer history, sometimes associated with Uffington, sometimes separate. The Stanford Guides trace their history to about 1924, with an unbroken presence in the village since about 1954.

A Watch Group for 7- to 11-year-old children interested in nature and the environment was founded by Margaret Grant in conjunction with the School in 1987.

Since 1990, the southeast area of the churchyard has been set aside as a wildlife sanctuary, and is monitored as a conservation project by members.

A Youth Club has existed at various times in the village, in the 1950's at St. Denys' Hall, then again in the late 1960s until about 1977, being reformed in 1980 and continuing, together with a Junior Youth Club, in the Village Hall until about 1993.

There are and have been a number of clubs and activities run by St. Denys' church for children and youth, including most recently Scramblers, J- Team, Pathfinders and Freeway.