He soon came to wider attention in the United Kingdom for speaking out on racial justice, and published (with John D. H. Downing) Vicious Circle in 1968, insisting that the churches urgently engage in anti-racist activism.
He was elected president of the Institute of Race Relations in 1971, an academic research body which also campaigned for racial justice.
He also served as Moderator of the World Council of Churches's Programme to Combat Racism, 1977 - 1980, which was known for its support for humanitarian projects of southern African liberation movements at a crucial time in their struggle.
In his last years as Bishop of Croydon, he protested at the honours given to Enoch Powell upon his death,[4] stating, "Enoch Powell gave a certificate of respectability to white racist views which otherwise decent people were ashamed to acknowledge"[5] and, in 2000 against the then British government's and opposition's negative attitudes to asylum seekers [6] Wood was also involved in Croydon life outside of the church, serving as a board member for the local Mayday Hospital for more than ten years, and also Chair of the Tramlink Penalty Fares Appeals Panel.
[2] Bishop Wilfred Wood was President of the Royal Philanthropic Society,[7] dedicated to the welfare of young people at risk.
He served on the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure (1978–80) under Sir Cyril Philips, which recommended the establishment of the Crown Prosecution Service.
In 1988, as bishop of Croydon, Wood was a character witness in favour of David Tudor, a priest who had previously been found to have committed child sexual abuse, describing him as having "the utmost integrity".