 |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||
 |
 |
|||||
A POTTED HISTORY OF HODDLESDEN MILLENNIUM GREEN |
||||||
Having settled myself into a cosy routine that a harsh winter in the highlands of Hoddlesden demands, I was unexpectedly awoken from enforced hibernation by a tap on the shoulder from a purple fairy! She informed me that Groundwork Blackburn had spotted a piece of land thought to be suitable for a Millennium Green. The spell had been cast, and I was hooked. A small, hardworking committee was formed and a successful application was made to the Countryside Commission for a 6-acre plot that, at the beginning of the last century, was a clay pipe works and a colliery, but was now to be transformed into Hoddlesden Millennium Green. The site became redundant and was cleared during the mid 1950s. The local Council had planted many saplings on the area, presumably to disguise its industrial past. In effect, the land was put to sleep. It took the committee from 1997 to 2000, some hundreds of phone calls, dozens of letters and grant application forms, for the dream to become reality. There were hurdles to cross. It is said that one man’s dreams can be another man’s nightmare. Good communication patterns needed to be established and several public meetings were held. A questionnaire was sent to every village resident to help allay any fears and to agree a ‘wish list’ for the Green. The villagers opted that we leave it to look as natural as possible, create a wildflower meadow and that there should be access for all. This consultation document provided the base to establish our Millennium Green. Fund raising began in earnest and grant applications were submitted by the dozen. By June, 2000, we had raised £23,000 match funding enough to complete phase one. An oak tree was planted by the Mayor in June to commemorate the start of the work and the awakening of our Millennium Green. Saturday 2 September saw the dream become reality. Hundreds of villagers followed behind the local brass band in a parade from the centre of the village down to the Green. Actress Rosemary Leach performed the opening ceremony and the crowd heard Jim Atherton, the local dialect poet, recite a poem he had specially penned for the occasion. The weather was kind. We now have an area to have a wild flower meadow, picnic, lots of trees to encourage wildlife, somewhere to hold fetes and community events. The purple fairy - oh, she was there, too. Since then we have held our first community picnic on the Green, and at Christmas we had a celebration of Carols by Candlelight. To see future events, click here LINDA DAWSON, HODDLESDEN MILLENNIUM GREEN TRUSTEE |
||||||
