VILLAGERS have celebrated the tenth anniversary of their Millennium Green in fine style.
Clayton West was one of only 23 pilot schemes across the country to get National Lottery cash in 1996 to create a new public space.
The former farming site off High Street, now known as Kaye’s Millennium Green, was transformed by a £40,000 makeover in the run up to the year 2000.
On Wednesday last week youngsters from Kaye’s First and Nursery School held a picnic at the picturesque green to mark its birthday.
More than 170 children were entertained by the Rapide Brothers with a programme of clowning and circus skills.
Trustee, Chris Cowen, said: “When the work was done for the opening in 2000 the children of Kaye’s School had quite a significant involvement – after all John Kaye was also instrumental in providing their school.
“Those children have now grown up but it was this involvement that prompted us to invite the current children to picnic on the green.”
Today more than 200 of the community run greens exist across England.
The land for the green was donated by the Bradbury brothers who were the direct descendants of John Kaye who, in turn, inherited the big house known as The Park in 1896.
To celebrate his inheritance John Kaye threw a party for the village. They had Punch and Judy and merry-go-rounds, sideshows and tea parties and singing and dancing late into the night.
There was even a demonstration of bare-knuckle fighting known then as ‘fisticuffs’.
Kaye’s Millennium Green is administered by a charitable trust comprising members of the local community.
The green is traditional parkland which volunteers monitor and maintain and in the summer you will see cows grazing there.
It is a facility for everyone in Clayton West and the trustees are keen to remind villagers to use and enjoy it.
Trustees meet six times a year and have practical task days and also hold fundraising events and activities.
Anyone in the village is eligible to be a trustee and new faces are always welcome either on the trust or helping out with the working parties.
