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EEarls Colne
Millennium
Green
Earls Colne Millennium
Green Trust
The Green was an initiative of the Parish Council.
Funding for its purchase and creation came from
generous donations by local residents and the
business community, from national and regional
organisations and from the National Lottery
Commission. The Green’s Official Custodian is
The Charities Commission, and it is managed by
the Earls Colne Millennium Green Trust - a
Registered Charity run by local people on a
voluntary basis. They are supported in this task
by other volunteers (Friends of the Green) who
help to carry out maintenance work,
improvements and also occasional fund raising.
If you are interested in becoming involved as
a Friend of the Green, please contact the
Parish Council (tel. 01787 224370).
RRiivveerr CCoollnnee CCoouunnttrryyssiiddee PPrroojjeecctt
SPONSORSRural Action . Hullmatic Engineering Ltd
C A Blackwell (Contracts) Ltd . N C Cammack & Son LtdGigawave Antennas Bass . David Whiting . Tree Surgeon
Ashwell’s Amenity & Pleasureground TrustW G Waters Ltd . Rudolph Wolff . Charitable TrustThe Garfield Weston Foundation . C R Timber LtdTrane (UK) Ltd, E Hobbs (Farms) Ltd . Pakfin Ltd
Milbank Trucks Ltd . Milbank Flooring Ltd
Grass Snake
Water Vole
Broad-bodiedDarter
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JAN-
UARY
FEBRUARYMARCHAPRIL
The Arrow of Time
A ‘Human’ Sundial
How it works
1. Stand astride the centre line of the arrow at
the current month marker. If necessary,
raise one arm above you so that your
shadow reaches the number blocks.
2. Between April and October (BST) your
shadow will indicate clock time within
5 minutes or so.
3. Between November and March (GMT),
subtract 1 hour from the indicated sundial
time to give you clock time - again within
5 minutes or so.
4. For greater accuracy at any date, adjust
the clock time indicated on the sundial by
adding or subtracting the number of
minutes for today’s date as
indicated on the graph.
The difference between clock time and the sundial’s
time arises because of the earth’s elliptical orbit
round the sun, the tilt of its axis and Earls Colne’s
longitude being 0o41’ east of Greenwich.
Mill Green
Adventure TrailFun on the Adventure Trail Play Area at the Mil-
lennium Green Open Day.
JUNE
P
W
G
Yellowhammer
Ringlet
Hawthorn
Hazel
Green Woodpecker
Dog Rose
S
N
S
Entrance
)))44)211
Entrance
KEY
S
N
S
RNN
RBEB
REEB
NNNE
OOOON
TTTTO
S
(1
(L
(A((AL
RLLI
HHIL
HHI
EEEGG
EDIID
RBB
REEEB
NNNNE
Benches/Picnic Benches
Mo
wn Grasst MoShor
Benches/Picnic Benches
hootpatlic FPub
Hedges
ubsees & ShrTr
thPawn Mo
Board Walk
ookond/BrP
Long Grass/Meadow
Invertebrate Area
eaArayPl
Board Walk
Vehicular disabled entrance
Ju Oak
Jub Jub Ju Ju Jubile k
Play AreaP y P y
Jubilee
(Arrow of time) Sundial Human
Sun Dial
S
Entrance
Sun Dial
Stile
Gate
enceF
& kissing gateEntrance
(Arrow of time)
AADROTLAS AAT
Entrance
Grassland
The paths and the grass at the top of the
Green are kept short for recreational
purposes. The rest is managed as a hay
meadow sown with a mixture of native
grasses and wildflower seed. In late spring
and summer look for ox-eye daisy,
common vetch, cowslip, buttercup,
scabious, orange hawkweed, meadow
cranesbill and lots more. Keep an eye out
for Common Lizards, a colony of which was
transferred to the Green by the building
firm Barratts plc, from one of their
development sites in Halstead. Although
not an endangered species, the Common
Lizard population is in decline. Typical
habitats were created for them around the
Green from wood piles, corrugated iron
strips, old bricks and mounds of hay.
Kestrel
Skylark
Ox-Eye Daisy
Cowslip
CommonVetch
CommonLizard
SilverBirch
Comma
Small-leaved lime
EnglishOak
Woodland
Most of the trees in the small copses are native
to this area and were planted and dedicated
individually by local people. A specially
produced book recording the dedications is on
view at the local Library. The main tree species
are oak, ash, hornbeam, wild cherry and small-
leaved lime interspersed with smaller shrubby
species like hazel, dogwood, guelder rose and
blackthorn. The oak trees in the lower meadow
are grown from acorns from the Honywood Oak -
a famous 700 year old tree which can be found at
nearby Marks Hall. The larger wooded area in
the middle of the Green was part of a set-aside
scheme planted by the former owner. At its upper
edge, another habitat has been specially created
to attract a large variety of invertebrate species.
The interpretation board at this site gives more
detailed information.HPond
This pond was constructed on the course
of the Bourne Brook by the Environment Agency,
and it serves two purposes. Firstly it reduces the
peak flow at times of flooding on the river by
acting as atemporary storage tank, and secondly
it provides another valuable area for wildlife.
The habitat here creates opportunities for many
types of flora and fauna to flourish. Look out for
kingfishers, different types of dragonfly, grass
snakes, water voles and even the occasional
otter. Growing around the edge of the pond are
many species of damp-loving trees. These
include alder, willow and native black poplar.
The shallow, open nature of the pond also makes
it an ideal location for fish to breed. On its opposite
bank is an area of just over an acre which has been
left deliberately unmanaged to encourage even
more species of plant, animal and invertebrate life.
Hedges
The Green is bordered on two sides by native
hedges. The one that runs alongside Stonebridge
Hill is a mature hedge which includes hawthorn,
hazel and elm and needs periodic maintenance
to control the spread of Dutch elm disease.
The northern boundary hedge was planted in
1999. It is a mixture of native species including
hazel, hawthorn, dog rose and field maple.
This hedge is managed traditionally to provide
valuable habitat that will especially benefit
declining species of farmland birds such as the
Yellowhammer pictured above.
The Greenwas created in 1999
to mark the Millennium
and provide a place for
local people to enjoy
informally the peace of
the countryside. Many
different habitats have
been created to support
a rich diversity of
wildlife.