We visit the village on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border full of ‘friendly’ people who hold an annual Boxing Day football match

Each year on December 26, residents of the village between Newport and Eccleshall gather to battle for the Barry Clews Boxing Day Trophy - a fierce but friendly football match that has become a cornerstone of Woodseaves life. 

The match, which began decades ago and evolved to a face-off between Woodseaves FC and workers for local employer Stan Robinsons, has taken many forms over the years, including dads vs sons and married men vs singles.

And at the heart of this much-loved tradition is The Cock Inn, the village pub run by Paul Treadwell, who has helped breathe new life into the event following the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic years.

"It almost didn’t happen after Covid, which was a real shame," Paul said. "But as a community we got it going again."

The match between the village team and pub side attracted more than 100 spectators last year and raised cash for charity Andy’s Man Club, a mental health initiative.

After the match, the pub becomes the heart of the celebration, providing food, drink, and entertainment to players and fans alike. Inside, the Barry Clews Trophy sits proudly beside the bar, alongside silverware from the Cock Inn’s darts and dominoes teams - further proof that the pub is rooted in its community.

Paul, who has run The Cock Inn for several years, has overseen changes to the pub which is a hub for the Woodseaves community. 

"It's a really nice, friendly village, it's a proper old-fashioned village with a school, village hall, shop, and the pub," he said. "It has a lot of community spirit about it. 

"We have extended our restaurant in recent years, but kept the traditional bar that accommodates everyone.

"A lot of people drive through the village and may have never stopped, but then they do and come for a drink, they find that the locals are very friendly and nice to chat to.

"It's a place where people from the village can get together and meet, and get to know the people they are living amongst."

Surrounded by rolling farmland, Woodseaves is a haven for walkers and countryside lovers, especially dog owners. 

From pumpkin-picking with alpacas at Tunstall Farm Park, which attracts hundreds of visitors from near and far, to quiet lanes with panoramic countryside views, the village offers rural charm with easy access to nearby towns like Eccleshall, Stafford and Newport.

Resident Sam Matthews, who regularly walks his two dogs around the area, said it’s the landscape and the people that make Woodseaves special.

He said: "I like the various places you can go to here. We have two dogs and there are so many different places to go with them.

"The countryside is so nice. It's not far from Stafford and Newport which is really nice. But the main thing is the views out to the countryside, and the residents as well, they are so friendly. 

"Every time you go out for a walk there is a farmer doing something. It's a very agricultural area and the fields are always being worked on.

"A lot of people who live here say they wouldn't live anywhere else."