Woodbridge Town Council names Jane Healey as new honorary freewoman

Praised for her ‘tremendous work’, a community has come together to congratulate a champion of Woodbridge for earning one of the town’s highest honours.

Jane Healey, best known for her work with Transition Woodbridge and East Suffolk Council’s Greenprint Forum, was bestowed the title of honorary freewoman of Woodbridge at the town’s full council meeting last night.

Mrs Healey has volunteered at Transition, which aims to make the town, alongside nearby Melton, more environmentally resilient through community action such as clean-ups, planting, litter picks and more, since 2010.

She was handed the award by Eamonn O’Nolan, the mayor of Woodbridge.

Mrs Healey said the honour, which will be in place for the rest of her life, came as a great shock to her.

She revealed she was nominated for the award by a neighbour, who considered her the perfect choice for the role.

Mrs Healey said: “It feels extraordinary. I found out the person who nominated me was a neighbour who felt I was the obvious candidate.

“It’s a tremendous honour to have been chosen. Community is the most important thing to me – but I have to be mindful that I couldn’t have done all I have alone. Transition is a team and I thank them for being there alongside me.

“It’s run by volunteers, and we certainly don’t expect accolades for our work.

“However, this doesn’t mean our work will stop – it’s only onwards from here.”

Only 12 freemen or freewomen can be in the role at any one time, and Mrs Healey was chosen from a list of candidates after a previous holder died.

The council consults with the community when a vacancy opens, and nominees are collected, although the freemen and women are elected by councillors.

Mrs Healey said it was her mission to help mitigate the risks from the climate emergency.

In addition to her work with Transition, Mrs Healey was also selected to appear on the town’s environmental committee after Woodbridge Town Council declared a climate emergency in 2019.

Cllr Eamonn O’Nolan, the mayor of Woodbridge, said the work Mrs Healey and Transition Woodbridge did was tremendous.

He described freewomen as local dignitaries.

Ongoing projects for the team include a scheme to install planters in The Thoroughfare, measuring the population of rare bat species, and a plan to reduce single-use plastic.

In addition, it also produces a booklet of local food producers to offer an alternative to shopping in supermarkets.

Mrs Healey said she also worked to ban the use of weedkillers containing glyphosate in the town.

Cllr O’Nolan added: “Woodbridge is a town of more than 9,000, and it can be difficult to communicate with that many people, so Transition uses practical projects that resonate with the community.

“It is an organisation with strong involvement in services that benefit the town.

“They actively seek out opportunities and areas of the town that need improving, and have made incredible contributions to Woodbridge.”