THORVERTON Millennium Green has been well-maintained over the years thanks to the generosity of the loan of a tractor and mowing equipment by a local benefactor.

The tractor has now been returned to the family for its use and the challenge was to raise monies for new equipment.

The Millennium Green is in the centre of the village and is very popular for exercise, picnicking, dog-walking and rejuvenation, especially during these times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the Green is not a formal park in any sense, mowing pathways and keeping brambles at bay makes the area much more accessible to everyone, including the elderly, wheelchair users, and children.

As part of the obligations to the Trust, the trustees are also required to keep the paths (including the public footpath which passes through the Green) mown during the growing months.

A grant application was made to Viridor Credits, and donations for a 10 per cent local contribution were gratefully received from Devon County Council, The Leonard Trust, Focus (the village magazine) and the Thorverton Parish Council.

Thanks to the hard work of the trustees, Maggie Dunlop, and volunteers, David Waldron and Jerry Parkinson, the Millennium Green Trust received a substantial grant from Viridor Credits.

This enabled the trustees to go ahead with the purchase of a new ISEKI sub compact tractor along with an attached mower and flail.

The new equipment is now being put into good use by one of the trustees, who is the chief tractor driver.