The Chairman’s Annual Report presented at the 12^th AGM of Mawdesley Millennium Green Trust on 20^th April 2010

Introduction

   I’m pleased to report we’ve had another good year, with the Green remaining as popular as ever for walking, rest, recreation and the enjoyment of nature. Grateful thanks must again go to all concerned, including our Trustees, Fundraisers, sponsors and loyal teams of Volunteers. This year we must say a special thank you to our retiring Treasurer, Chris Print, for over 6 years of loyal service and 6 long years of putting up with me!

Land Developments

Spring has brought us another good show of daffodils and we are hoping that the wildflower meadow will look better this year following some extensive planting work. Our new Nature Trail has been particularly popular and we remain pleased with the work of our contractor, Mr David Jones, in keeping the grass cut and looking tidy. We must also thank the members of our Care Team for all their work under the leadership of Joan Kirkwood. However, numbers here have been dropping and we would welcome anyone who would like to come along for a few hours on the 2nd Saturday morning of each month when tasty refreshments are provided. Our beekeeping group has now acquired some bees and I’m pleased to report that the colony produced plenty of honey last autumn, enabling them to successfully survive through the winter. We’ve also acquired a steel storage container in the last year, which has enabled us to keep more equipment and tools on site without the container, hopefully, causing too much of an eyesore. Like many public spaces, our Green has suffered some vandalism in the last year, but I’m pleased to report that we have received considerable support from our local police force, with apologies and compensation from the 8 miscreants involved.

Fundraising

   As you have seen, we now need over £7000 to maintain and care for the Green, each year. Our chief sponsor remains our Parish Council, which has been particular loyal and supportive since we established the Green 10 years ago. The remainder comes from our 50 : 50 Club, ably led by Ian Paterson and the sterling efforts of our events team, Mawdesley 2000. We must again say a very big thank you to all those involved in both areas. This being our 10th year since the Green was first officially opened, Mawdesley 2000 is planning to extend its Open Gardens Day (27/6), put on a Music Festival (17/7), a Gala Fun Day (12/9), Bonfire Night (5/11) and Quiz Night (12/11). In addition, we are planning to present an evening in the Village Hall with comedian, Phil Cool (2/10) To mark the Green’s 10th Birthday we are also trying to obtain a grant to enable us to design and install some new entrance gates. Their design will be based on our village’s basket-making heritage. We hope you will continue to support all these initiatives and help us identify new ones in the future.

The Future

   Meanwhile, we look forward to another busy year of land maintenance and development, mixed in with a lively programme of events. As you will know, the Green is not just a green space, it’s a focus for positive community energy and it makes a big contribution to village life. In turn, Mawdesley’s sense of community is the envy of all our neighbours and long may it last.