Retirement after 45 years of service

Gilling West Parish Council’s Secretary, Sheila Hillary, stepped down at Wednesday’s (March 18th) Annual General Meeting in the John Ross Suite. A presentation was made to mark her amazing record of involvement with the Council and other local community activities.

Sheila’s grandparents were the first branch of her family to settle in Gilling West in the early 1900s, where they ran a butcher’s business. Her mother was one of eleven children. The family lived in Hauxwell House, High Street where Sheila was also born 31st July 1939.

She attended the Village School and Sunday School at St. Agatha’s, the local church, receiving many awards for good attendance. Also, as a Girl Guide, she remembers carrying the Union Jack flag on important parades, which is now hanging in the church.

On leaving school Sheila worked as secretary to Mr. Hodge, Clerk to Richmondshire District Council and in 1960 married her husband Eddie at St. Agatha’s church. They had two children – Mark and Shaun.

Family responsibilities led Sheila to end her office working career, but Mr. Hodge encouraged her to become Clerk to both Gilling West Parish Council and also Skeeby Parish Council in 1964. She served the latter for ten years.

In 1971 she was employed as part-time Secretary at Gilling West Church of England School which involved working 5 hours per week and this progressed to also being Non-teacher assistant for 8 hours per week - taking the children down the High Street to the Village Hall for school dinners and supervising them at playtime. Sheila spent 24 happy years working at the school and was very active in resisting its closure in 1995. Following this sad event, together with the Rev. Jennifer Williamson – then the local vicar, she set up a toddlers group in Church once a month. This eventually moved to the Village Hall and was very successful for a number of years.

Other notable activities in which Sheila was involved with the Parish Council included Best Kept Village competitions. From 1967, Gilling West were successful 15 times, receiving seats and trees as prizes. A very special year was 1999 when the village won The Yorkshire Rural Community Council, the Richmondshire District Council and a Certificate of Merit in ‘Yorkshire in Bloom’ competitions. Sheila helped plant daffodil bulbs round the village in 1988 and in the development of the Millenium Green.

She continues as a member of the Parochial Church Council – she joined in 1987 and has been a Church Warden since 2003; the Village Hall Committee – a member from 1978; the local Badminton Club (from 1981) and Gardening Club (from 2000).