Millennium Green
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to celebrate the turn of the Millennium. Funded in part by the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
via the Countryside Agency
Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...
, they are permanent areas of green space for the benefit of local communities. Each one is different, as local people have had an input into the design of their green.
The project to create 250 Millennium Greens across the turn of the Millennium was started in 1996 and ended when the last Green was handed over to its own, local charitable trust in perpetuity.
Each trust now fundraises for and runs its own green, within the bounds of its trust deed, for the benefit of its local community.
The aims of Millennium Greens, as stated in their trust deeds, are as follows:
- Make a substantial contribution to the life of the whole community
- Be able to be enjoyed by people of all ages and physical abilities.
- Be open and evident to visitors to the Locality as well as inhabitants.
- Be an attractive place for people to take air and exercise, meet others and pursue leisure activities and pastimes consistent with the shared enjoyment of the whole of the land.
- Include an area suitable for community events and celebrations.
- Include significant "natural" areas, where people can enjoy Nature and wildlife at first hand.
- Make a positive contribution to the local environment and respect the established character of the area.
- Remain safely and conveniently accessible from Inhabitants' homes.
Project Success and Legacy
The Millennium Greens scheme was one of many UK projects funded by the Millennium CommissionMillennium Commission
The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery....
using National Lottery money. It was intended to form part of the permanent legacy of the celebrations of the Turn of the Millennium.
The Countryside Agency considered the project such a success that it launched a follow-on project to continue creating locally-run public green areas called "Doorstep Greens
Doorstep Greens
Doorstep Greens are locally-owned and run public spaces across England. They were first created by the Countryside Agency in a project started in 2001. The Agency set out to find green spaces which could be organised into relatively small parks and then create a local charitable trust to own,...
" in 2001. This initiative is still running through the CA's successor, Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
. Millennium Greens and Doorstep Greens have won numerous Green Flag Awards and Green Pennant Awards.
The Royal Mail celebrated the Millennium Green project in its People and Places stamps in the Millennium Collection in 2000.
The Future of Millennium Greens
The Greens were intended to last in perpetuity and, as such, each was set up with a trust deed including requirements to keep the land and have it available for access by the general public. As a charitable trust their maintenance is supported and controlled by the Charity Commission. Many Millennium Greens were established with formal links to other charities and official bodies. Their deeds enable them to work with commercial sponsors and, indeed a number of Greens have used sponsorship to further their aims.However, as the Greens are reliant on local volunteers to keep going, including finding new trustees and fundraising, not all trusts have survived; a number have been wound up by Natural England and the Charity Commission, usually the Local Authority ends up being the trustee of the Green.