Churchill and Blakedown Millennium Green Trust ANNUAL REPORT OF CHAIRMAN (2008/09)

The Millennium Green has continued to mature during the year, and is enjoyed for quiet informal relaxation by many local residents.
Apart from the major responsibility of regular grass cutting by a contractor, the work by Trustees has been supplemented
by working groups of young people organised and supervised by the Probation Service, who have maintained paths, hedges and small trees.
Development works have continued with small extensions to the fences and hedges,
and hard surface areas have been laid in the form of slabs, underneath the benches .
The scouts have made use of the Millennium Green for outdoor activities

and on occasions for overnight camping. In addition they have recently formed a Company of Archers who
practise outdoors during the summer months with appropriate stringent safety precautions.
The Trustees are once again concerned that dog owners are allowing their dogs to foul the Millennium Green,
not clearing up after them and using the bins provided. We have received complaints from other users about this lack of consideration.
Although there has a been a reduction in fouling the main open area, dog owners are reminded that the surrounding footpaths are all
part of the Millennium Green and covered by the same restrictions.
We are in investigating using our limited funds to put up more signs, and we hope dog owners will cooperate .
We were grateful to receive further funding from the Parish Council and a donation from the Fete Committee,
and from the Blakedown Village Christmas Supper. A substantial contribution towards the development works
was gratefully received from the Norman Dawson Charitable Trust.

Once more I should like to place on record my thanks to my fellow Trustees -
Chris Lindley, GeoffElwell (Treasurer), Jonathan Clark and John Rostron for all their hard work and support during the year.