Author: Admin

Play Lane Millennium Green Winter Update 2024/25

The shortest day fell on 21st December 2024, with 22nd December marking the first day of winter. I chose to walk the Green seven days into winter at the start of a cold snap. My expectation was to see storm damage in the canopy and evidence of excessive wash-out on some of the informal paths, […]

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year for 2025

Play Lane Millennium Green would like to wish all our green users, past and new, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hope you can come and enjoy the green in 2025. If you feel you can help out, please do get in touch.

Autumn Equinox 2024

My walk around the Green comes at the time of the year when the hours of daylight are equal to the hours of darkness. It seems no time at all since we were celebrating midsummer day in June. So far this year there have not been many completely still days. A wet winter, followed by […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Spring Update 2024

Here we are in the week of the Spring equinox and I find I am reading my previous reports from September 2023 and January 2024. Without a doubt it has been the windiest and wettest period that I can ever remember since I started to work on the land in the Autumn of 1955. Walking […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Winter Update 2024

As we are now clear of Epiphany, the time of the Magi returning home following their visit to the stable in Bethlehem where Christ was born, it is time for me to make my quarterly report on the Green. We enjoyed a warm, sunny October with verdant growth encouraged by a damp August and September. […]

Join the Play Lane team!

Join us

If you have a passion for the environment and perhaps a few hours to spare, would you consider becoming more involved in our endeavours to maintain this magical space for future generations? If you have a background in horticulture, native wildlife, or simply enjoy being amidst a natural environment, we would love to hear from […]

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

We’d like to wish all our Play Lane Millennium Green users a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. Thank you for all your support throughout 2023 and we hope to keep the green up to a great standard for another year. If you wish to get involved, make sure you get in touch […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Autumn Update 2023

As I write my autumnal report, the strong winds blow and squally rain beats upon the west-facing window. Tomorrow will be the vernal equinox, daylight will be equal to darkness. It is a good time to walk through the Green when the wind is high, you see a lot more with regard to the general […]

Play Lane Millennium Green receives prestigious Green Flag Award for 2023

Green Flag

Play Lane Millenium Green in Ryde has again achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award for another year.  The volunteers were delighted to hear the announcement that the breathing space for Ryde has been recognised for all its glory once again. A spokesperson said: We thank each and every one of you who come, use and […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Summer Update 2023

The Spring season has passed us by. It began after a dry February, with a very wet and cold March and April. These conditions delayed the early growth of the flora and tree buds, with catkins going into check until the last week of April. A few weeks ago a high-pressure weather system settled itself […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Spring Update 2023

The friends and users of the Play Lane Millennium Green have probably noticed that Spring is around the corner. The Blackthorn is in flower and the buds are starting to break, the forester’s term for this is “flushing”. The time for planting trees and shrubs is fast coming to an end now and will not […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Trust – AGM 2022 Minutes

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, 16 November 2022 Present: Ian Jefferies (Chairman), Rose Coram (Treasurer), Roy Parkinson, Pat Tomlinson, Steve Simmonds, Mandy Thomas (Secretary) A full list of attendees is filed with the minutes. Apologies: Brian Harris The minutes of the AGM held on 8 November 2021 were read, accepted as […]

End of September 2022 – Play Lane Millennium Green Update

As we come to the end of September 2022, we look back at the long, hot, dry summer and how it has affected nature in general and the Millennium Green in particular. In general, our Oak trees and the under storey have been fairly resilient considering the winters of 2020 and 2021 were drier than […]

Play Lane Millennium Green Celebrates with South and South East in Bloom Award

Play Lane Millennium Green (PLMG) is pleased to announce that they have once again been awarded ‘Outstanding’ in the South and South East in Bloom Awards for 2019. PLMG is situated towards the south-west of Ryde and provides a ‘breathing space’ between the residential areas of Binstead and Haylands. The Green, adjoining Dame Anthony’s Common, […]

Play Lane MIllennium Green Wins Green Flag Award

Play Lane Millennium Green has been awarded the Green Flag Award for the 8th year in succession.  The international awards are a sign to the public that space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities. Play Lane is one of 3 sites on the Isle of Wight to […]

2018 AGM Wednesday 21st October

By kind permission of Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, this year’s PLMG Annual General Meeting will be held  on Wednesday 21st October 2018, at 2 p.m.  in the “Clockhouse” on their grounds in Playstreet Lane. All are very welcome to attend.

Last Green Gym visit of 2018

The Green Gym made their third visit for 2018 on the last Wednesday in October. Once again their members worked long and hard cutting back the remains of the grass and flowers on the Butterfly meadow and removing the debris, so that the soil remains relatively poor, to provide the best conditions for next year’s […]

Walkway Repairs October 2018

The walkway that crosses the muddy areas leading down to the footbridge has served us well since its construction eleven years ago. However water and debris had collected beside some sections and the underlying supports had rotted. The top planks were removed so that the rotten wood could be cut away and  new plastic wood […]

2018 ~ 2019 Green Flag Community Award

Green Flag

We are delighted that, once again this year, we have received the Green Flag Community Award. This is a testament to all the hard work put in by so many people over nearly twenty years. Thank you all!

Hard work from the Green Gym again

On August 22nd the Green Gym paid us their second visit of the year. Although numbers were slightly depleted because of the holiday season, as usual, much work was done. One group was tasked to clear some of the iris from the edge of the pond – a pond only in name after the weeks […]

Enjoying our Green

On a summer day mist hangs low over the oak wood and a common spotted orchid and scarlet berries add interest to an early morning walk.

New signs for the Green

Thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters we now have a smart new sign on the five-barred gate, giving the history of the Green, as well as an upgraded lockable noticeboard which can be used to display information about upcoming events. See the new signs and notice boards below!    

More work on the paths – thanks to the Green Gym

In May the Green Gym visited for one of their regular sessions on the Green and carried out an amazing amount of work, barrowing stone from our reserve supplies and spreading it on the very muddy areas at the junction of the paths on the Butterfly Meadow and beside the mother oak. This has made […]

Welcome to the new Play Lane website

Welcome to the new Play Lane Millennium Green website for Ryde on the Isle of Wight.  Thanks to the generosity of our web developer, we have been gifted with a new fresh website for the summer of 2018! As well as a new website, we now also have a new logo to represent the Green […]

Snow in March

PHOTOS: We have now had two lots of snow since Christmas which made the Green look very attractive but caused some delay in new growth. You can see more photographs from Play Lane Millenium Green users at the bottom of this page.  Just prior to the most recent snow, we purchased a new walnut tree […]

Path repairs

A new spring seems to have appeared near the mother oak resulting in the adjacent paths becoming very waterlogged. More barrowloads of stone have been spread in this area but if the spring persists, it may be necessary to pipe the water across or under that path. In the longer term, we may have to […]

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Refreshing the Play Lane Sign

The Play Lane sign carved onto the arched entrance had become partially covered in ivy and less clear to read. The ivy has now been removed and the letters have been stained to make them more obvious.  

Clearing Pygmy weed and raising the tree canopy

Work was done on the Green recently to clear the New Zealand Pygmy Weed from the pond. In past years it has been found that when the roots have formed a mat is the best time to remove as much as possible of this tenacious weed. At the same time work was done on the […]

Support Play Lane Today!

Don’t forget that Play Lane Millennium Green wouldn’t be here today without the generosity of the public, find out how you can support us by reading on. As Play Lane Millennium Green is open for everyone to enjoy, we must have Public Liability Insurance. We also have to carry out regular management of bramble and scrub […]

Green Gym Visits 2018

The Green Gym will be visiting Play Lane Millennium Green on the following dates: May 16th 2018 August 22nd 2018 November 28th 2018

AGM Friday November17th 2017 at 2 p.m.

The Annual General Meeting of Play Lane Millennium Green Trust will take place on Friday November 17th 2017 at 2 p.m. By kind permission of the Management Committee of Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet club, Playstreet Lane, the meeting will be held in their newly constructed Clockhouse, which is a chalet building located behind the […]

IW Green Gym’s last vist for the year

Green Gym visit November 1st, 2017 Each year, about this time, the IW Green Gym give the Green an end of summer makeover. Although several small (but still important!) tasks were undertaken, the main event was to cut back all the growth at the Butterfly Meadow. Some of their previous visits here were plagued by […]

Green Gym visit August 23rd 2017

After a number of very wet visits recently, Green Gym members were delighted to have a warm sunny day for this weeks’ trip to the Green! The hazard this time was road works in Playstreet Lane, so members had to park on the Binstead estate and bring all the tools and tea equipment from there […]

Sixth Green Flag Community Award

We are very pleased to announce that Play Lane Millennium Green has received the Green Flag Community Award for the sixth year in succession Our thanks go to all the people who help maintain the Green – the Trustees, the Green Gym and the dog walkers and passers by who litter pick on a regular […]

Donate Via Text!

Great news for all of those who wish to donate and help maintain the Green! Play Lane Millenium Green has gone one extra step in making it easier for you, the welcome guests of the Green, to donate! Your donations mean everything to us, whatever the amount, large or small, it goes a long way. […]

Green Gym visits in 2017

Once again in 2017, the Green Gym members will be lending us a hand to keep the Green in good shape. Their visits are scheduled for: Wednesday 17th May Wednesday 23rd August Wednesday 1st November New growth comes through the winter leaves on January 24th 2017, as the pond is frozen and sun shows through the mist.

South & South East in Bloom Certificate of Excellence

We are delighted to once again have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for 2016, by the judges of the South & South East in Bloom competition. Our thanks go to all the people who put in much hard work to maintain the Green over the year.  

Green Gym visits in August and November 2016

The Green Gym paid us two more visits in 2016.  After their very wet May vist, by contrast in August, temperatures were reaching 30 degrees and volunteers were glad to find some shade in which to work. Once again they tackled a variety of jobs, including trimming pathways, cutting back brambles and clearing the mud […]

Green Flag Community Award for the 5th consecutive year!

We are delighted to announce that once again Play Lane Millennium Green has achieved Green Flag status in 2016. Many thanks go to the groups of people that help to maintain the Green from building walkways to picking up litter. Without your help we wouldn’t have achieved this.

More help from Ryde MPCT students

Over the past couple of months the Ryde MPCT students have paid several visits to the Green to assess the dipping platform and decide what materials were needed to provide an anti-slip surface, similar to that applied to the walkway in 2015. Old and torn netting was removed and later in the month paint and […]

Spotted orchids and Yellow Rattle

Last autumn we planted yellow rattle seeds throughout the Green as it is a semi-parasitic plant that weakens grasses and allows more wild flowers to grow. We are pleased to report that the seeds have managed to germinate in three or four areas and the plants are now in flower and ready to set seed […]

Green Gym Visit May 18th 2016

Some hardy Green Gym volunteers braved the weather and worked hard to lay new sections of path between the beach and the pond which had become very muddy and worn during the winter. They also patched other sections which were looking the worse for wear The team then moved up to the Butterfly meadow to […]

Green Gym Visits 2016

The Green Gym will be working at the Green on the following dates in 2016: Wednesday 18th May Wednesday 31st August Wednesday 2nd November

Footbridge to the pond has been widened

Thanks to Roy and John who spent several hours yesterday widening the footbridge that leads down to the pond. It is now double its previous width and should make it safer for people with buggies to access the pond area                February 29th 2016

February 2016 Tidying up after the winter

The paths have had a lot of water on them this winter resulting in mud, leaves and debris spreading across them. Using a leaf blower on them for a few hours improved them greatly.                   This then revealed some areas where the stones had sunk down resulting […]

January 22nd 2016 Tree stumps cleared

The self seeded oak trees which were growing near the five barred gate had developed into a small wood and as we want to keep that as an open area most of them were cut down during 2014. However by last autumn it was clear that many of them were shooting again and so it […]

January 2016 Repairs on the Green

Time and weather have taken their toll on paths and walkways. Several of the planks on the walkway had become worn at the edges and one was particularly bad, so on January 13th 2016 work was carried out replacing the damaged sections. The path that goes from the five barred gate and enters the top […]

2015 AGM Wednesday November 18th

The AGM for Play Lane Millennium Green Trust will be held on Wednesday November 18th 2015 at 2 p.m. It will take place in the Pavilion of Ryde Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Playstreet Lane, Ryde, PO33 3LJ All are welcome to attend. We would like to thank Ryde Lawn management committee for their permission […]

Green Gym visit November 4th 2015

Despite overcast skies and previous heavy rain a large number of Green Gym members came to the Green on Wednesday November 4th 2015 for their third and final visit this year. They quickly got underway with scything the long grass in the Butterfly meadow and raking the debris off. Other people were busy clearing some […]

Anti-slip surface on walkway

In the winter months the walkway can become very slippery from mud and algae on the surface and so it was decided to try and treat it to produce anti-slip properties. After some research it was decided, in collaboration with Brian Richardson, (one of the instructors at the Isle of Wight Military Preparation College) that the […]

Second Green Gym visit 26th August 2015

Thanks to the Green Gym ” Bloggist” for their report below on the second GG visit to the Green on Wednesday August 26th 2015. “Well we had a wet start, a wet middle and yes a wet ending.  However as the photos indicate we were lucky enough to have a few sunny spells and were […]

First Green Gym visit of 2015

On May 13th the Green Gym’s workers spent a morning thinning some of the abundantly growing hawthorn trees from the understorey to allow the developing hazel, field maple and ash a better chance to thrive. They will be visiting again later in the year. As always, we are very grateful for their hard work which […]

Planting of new trees to increase diversity

As part of an Island wide enterprise, The Big Tree Plant, we have been given twelve trees for the Green. Yes we already have a lot of trees but these are of different native species which when mature will provide more resources for wild life. Today we planted two “Wild Service Trees” and one Walnut […]

Bluebells!

Having had some success with planting a small number of Bluebell bulbs in 2013 it was decided to invest in more bulbs and our Duke of Edinburgh Award student, Sam, was asked to carry this project forward. See his report here: Bluebell Planting. Photo credit: Shane Thornton.

Survey of plants and birds on the Green

A survey was carried out in July 2013 and repeated August 2014 to identify trees, plants, insects and birds on the Green. Eleven varieties of bird were seen and five types of butterfly. More than twenty species of trees and shrubs were found and there were over 70  types of  ground flora, climbers and grasses, […]

RHS In Bloom Awards

“It’s Your Neighbourhood” is South & South East in Blooms  major community participation programme, and is run on behalf of the RHS “Britain in Bloom” Campaigns.  This programme focuses on community participation and judging takes into account Community Participation (40%) Environmental Responsibility (30%) Gardening Achievement (30%   Brian attended the South and SouthEast in Bloom […]

Green Gym visit and Bridge widening

On August 27th 2014 the Green Gym paid us another visit and as usual did some useful work. This time they concentrated on clearing the scrub and bramble from the wooded areas and also some of the brambles and young willow trees on the Butterfly Meadow. One group concentrated on clearing an open space around […]

Flag Raising

On Saturday August 9th 2014 a group of supporters assembled at the Green to celebrate our third  Green Flag Community Award with biscuits and bubbly. The Trust Chairman, Ian Jefferies, congratulated all those involved with maintaining the Green, in once again achieving the standard required by the mainland judges. The flag was then raised and […]

Green Flag Community Award 2014

We are delighted to announce that Play Lane Millennium Green has won a Green Flag Community Award for the third year running. Our thanks go to the many people who have helped us to achieve this: our Trustees and committee members, the Green Gym volunteers, the Military Academy students, the dog walkers and ramblers who […]

Tree for Remembrance

On Tuesday January 21st 2014 a rowan tree was planted by the friends and family of Ruth Hartwell, (nee Edgcumbe), who died in October 2013. The foggy, damp weather gave way to a few shafts of sunshine, just as everyone arrived for the ceremony. The tree is sited on the newly cleared area near the […]

Green Gym visit June 25th 2014

Once again some very useful work was carried out by the Green Gym volunteers. The wet winter had caused a lot of mud and debris to collect under the walkway leading to the stream and this was causing the supports to start to rot. This mud was dug out so that there is now a […]

Orchids

It is exciting to report that two types of orchid are now growing on the Green. An Early Purple orchid was noticed about a month ago and currently (mid June) Common Spotted Orchids can be seen.  

Green Gym visit May 14th 2014

Another visit by the Green Gym resulted in many of the brambles from the Butterfly meadow being dug up, some of the overhanging growth cleared from the paths and preliminary work done on identifyting wild life in the stream to try and assess the purity of the water. Kick samples were taken by disturbing the […]

Military Preparation College Students repairing the footpaths

On Wednesday May 7th 2014, twenty six students and two instructors from the The Military Preparation College at Haylands visited the Green en masse and worked extremely hard moving about 15 tons of limestone from a depot at the top of the green, onto the sections of footpaths which have been worn by the recent […]

2013 That was the year that was!

  Another summer has passed and work continues on the Green. The area around the entrance arch has been frequently strimmed to encourage grass growth and it is planned to continue cutting back nettles and mares tails to enlarge this section. Some of the trees near the five barred gate will also be removed in […]

May 2013 Update

After a cold, wet, prolonged winter we have at last been able to undertake some work on the Green. Tree thinning had been planned in March but due to the adverse weather this had to be delayed and as the birds are now nesting it will probably not be possible to start this until the […]

Green Flag Community Award

We are delighted to announce that we have been recognised for a Green Flag Community Award. These awards are given to high quality green spaces in England & Wales, which are managed by voluntary and community groups. A flag raising ceremony will take place today July 21st 2012 with M.P. Andrew Turner and The Mayor of Ryde, David […]

Very Little Damage after Strong Winds

The recent strong winds fortunately caused very little damage to the trees on the Green apart from on either side of the stream near the wooden bridge. Two trees which were already dead, had partially fallen and were threatening to block the stream if left. These have now been removed. The oak wood continues to […]

Sad News

We are sad to report the recent death of Lesley Skoludek, one of the founding Trustees of the Green. It was due to Lesley’s vision and foresight that the possibility of creating a Millennium Green was first considered. She identified a potential area of land and made the initial approaches which led to its eventual […]

2011 AGM

The AGM will be held on Wednesday November 23rd at 2 p.m. The venue will be the Clubhouse of Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Playstreet Lane, Ryde. We are very grateful to the Club for allowing us to use their premises once again. Do come along if you are free that afternoon to hear […]

Work-in Held to Tidy Green

A work-in was held on Saturday November 5th, the main priority being to cut back the grass in the Butterfly Meadow and to remove the resultant debris so that the soil is not enriched by its decomposition.Wild flowers do best in poor soils and we need flowers to encourage insects and bees. The bridges and walkway were […]

Small Work-in to Finish Laying a Footpath

A small work-in was held on the Green on May 11th to finish laying a footpath on the beach area by the pond using the remaining stone chippings on a geotextile base as before. The path leading to the bridge accessed through the archway has now been strengthened and ramped so that a disabled person […]

Successful Two Days Working on the Green

We have had a very successful two days working on the Green and have laid nearly 25 tons of limestonechippings on a geotextile base and now almost all the footpaths have a good walking surface. At the moment the paths look very stark but we know from past experience that within a few months they […]

Work Carried out to Improve Green

Ian and Steve have now cut down the majority of the trees that needed thinning and most of the resulting debris has now been piled or burnt Work on the footpaths is planned for next week, starting Tuesday April 5th. Andrew Mills of D. W. Mills and son will be our contractor bringing machinery and materials to the […]

Ditch to Help Drainage was a Success

A ditch has been dug alongside the previously very wet path in the Butterfly meadow and this has been very successful in draining the water. Marking the oak trees which will need to be thinned has started and work on felling will get underway within the next few weeks if we get a reasonable spell […]

New Drive to Raise Money

We are starting a new drive to raise money for the necessary insurance and maintenance costs of the Green. We would like to ask regular users of the Green to give a small annual donation of £5 to £10 per annum. This can be done by way of the Everyclick website or by sending a cheque. Please see […]

The Co-operative Community Fund awarded us a Small Grant

The Co-operative Community Fund has awarded us a small grant for which are very grateful. This money will be used to complete, as far as possible, the upgrading of the footpaths in the areas of the Green which still get very muddy in the winter. Work is planned to start in the Spring of 2011. […]

Spring Programme can be Commenced

The Green was at its most wintery earlier this year after heavy snowfalls. This was followed by what seemed like weeks of rain and the stream could be heard from some distance away as it carried extra volumes of water. At last the weather is improving and the Spring programme can be commenced. On March […]

Tree Preservation Order has been Confirmed

We have recently heard that a Tree Preservation Order has been confirmed and applied to the whole of the Green. This means that anyone who damages trees on the site in any way, would face prosecution and a large fine. If you use the Green regularly, please email us and tell us how often you […]

Good to report…

It is good to report that the work on the footpaths in the Green is now complete. After looking at a number of options it was decided that the most cost effective way of getting the work done was by a contractor who was able to provide the necessary machinery and to arrange the transport […]

Grant from Grassroots to Improve Footpaths

We were delighted to hear in December that we have been awarded a grant from Grassroots so that we can improve the footpaths throughout the Green, many of which become muddy and slippery in wet weather. The plan is to lay geotextile in strips about a metre wide and then to put down a top […]

Useful Visit from the Green Gym

We had another very useful visit from the Green Gym last week. The pond was once again cleared of the very invasive “Parrot Weed” and some tidying up was done of the vandalised areas, habitat piles being created from a number of the dead branches. Some progress was made on clearing some very overgrown bramble […]

Help us Raise Money

Why not help us raise money for the Green in a very simple way? Just use Everyclick as your Internet Search Engine and nominate “Play Lane Millennium Green Trust” as your favourite charity, and every time you search the web using Everyclick you will raise a small amount of money for the Green. Six people […]

Vandalism on the Green and Neighbouring Land

We have been saddened by a spate of strange episodes of vandalism on the Green and neighbouring land. A chainsaw has been used to sever the trunks of nearly two dozen trees in an apparently random manner. The trees range in size from 3″ diameter oaks up to a 65 year old 50′ ash. The […]

Productive Morning thanks to Green Gym

The Green Gym spent their first of (hopefully many) very productive mornings at the Green in June. They cleared a lot of brambles from the Butterfly Meadow and built two footbridges and a new “squeeze” entrance at the SW corner of the site. More than thirty volunteers from all walks of life, including St. George’s School and […]

Clearance of the Brambles put on Hold

Due to the wet winter, planned clearance of the brambles on the butterfly meadow has had to be put on hold. This will enable the Whitethroats to nest and raise their chicks in peace.

Ryde Town Management Committee Kindly Donated £300

Ryde Town Management Committee kindly donated £300 towards erecting fencing and repositioning the gate at the south east entrance. This will help to prevent unauthorised use by horses and motor bikes.

Dipping Platform Vandalised

Unfortunately, the dipping platform has suffered some vandalism.  The hand rail was ‘removed’ and some of the safety grip netting was also damaged. Plans for repairs are underway.

A Breathing Space for Ryde

Play Lane Millennium Green
Play Lane
Ryde
Isle of Wight
PO33 3LJ

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Play Lane Millennium Green is registered as a charitable incorporated organisation in England & Wales.
Registered address: 3 Pellview Close, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 3TU.  Registered Charity No: 1071915.

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