In July 2020 former Milford resident and parent of pupils at Milford Scho
ol, Kate Tuck, called for volunteers to clear two allotments (and eventually a third) to create a “green space” for the children of the Milford Primary School to use. At the time the school only had a tarmac playground. A large number of volunteers, parents and pupils of the school but also other Milford residents, worked incredibly hard over the past 5 years and transformed the area into a beautiful space packed with things to encourage children (and adults!) to play outdoors and learn about the natural world. It has also encouraged community cohesion through the volunteer sessions and community events now held on it. Volunteers work on the Greenspace every Monday morning all year round, and many weekends. During term time there is a weekly Forest School for Milford School, and a weekly session for a special needs school in Derby (Maple View), but the site is open at all times for local children to use. There is a Chicken Group that organises a rota of parents and children to look after the chickens. Four formal community events are organised each year on the Greenspace now too. See the Greenspace website for more details on how the site has evolved since July 2020.
It has been quite a while since our last report (July 2024) but the Greenspace is still going strong. It is worth commenting that there is no road access to the Greenspace and every single item on it has had to be carried by hand to the site by the volunteers, up three flights of steps! In November 2024 a large batch of free pallets was delivered nearby and carried onto site.
Moving pallets to site
Pile of pallets moved to site
These were used to create three new larger and improved compost bins and a more vigorous composting regime enforced. We also created a new fourth bin to store excess chipped bark for the paths.
New compost bins made from pallets
All the compost heaps were turned in November and 20 barrows of compost extracted. This was put on a new vegetable bed we created below the fruit trees (we now have 4, including the three existing raised beds.) This was to satisfy the Bridge View Allotments committee, who said in their last inspection that they’d like to see more of the Greenspace land growing crops.
Compost bin completely emptied
New vegetable bed below fruit trees plus compost
On the request of the children, the pallets were also used to create a “troll bridge” over the periodic stream that runs though the site in wet weather. Rocks and stones were collected from the site to raise the level of the bridge and approaching paths, and banisters added by parent carpenter Ben Rogers.
Troll Bridge in place
Path raised up to Troll Bridge level
Troll Bridge complete
In November our Chair Kate Tuck left Milford for Ambergate and to concentrate on running The Shining Cliff Hostel. It was her vision that started the Greenspace and her ideas and enthusiasm kept us going. We will ensure her creation is safe in our hands! Kate has been replaced as chair by Suzie Goodburn.
In the autumn, there was a severe problem with rats on site so a £360 grant was successfully applied for from Foundation Derbyshire to have them professionally removed by local pest controller Craig Tooby. Measures were then put in place to discourage rats from returning, such as rat-proof chicken food storage bins, rat-proof chicken feed dispensers and the banning of kitchen waste being dumped on the compost heaps. The bait boxes only needed to be refilled once and at present there are no rats on site.
Another potentially unsavoury task was to empty the composting toilet, which after 5 years was finally full. In January we decided to put the compost under the heap behind the toilet. The heap was moved to the other heaps or burnt but then digging a suitably big hole underneath proved very difficult due to the large volume of rocks and roots. It was finally achieved and the compost from the toilet was transferred. We were expecting the worst, but the compost didn’t smell and was completely decomposed.
Expecting the worst….
Over the year an important task is to keep the woodchip paths in order. Over the past year alone we have carried over 500 x 40 litre bags of chipped bark onto the site, 4/5 donated by local landscape gardener Jonathan Beard (JB Landscapes of Holbrook). In January, for example, the huge pile shown below was dropped at the bottom of Church Steps and took 10 volunteers 3 hours to carry it up onto the site!
Huge pile of chip dropped at foot of Church Steps in January
Volunteer team that moved the pile up onto The Greenspace
In July the new owners of Pear Tree Cottage, nearby on Hopping Hill, produced another large pile of chippings while clearing the garden which we also carried up onto the site.
The new Forest School Leader, replacing Kate Tuck, Caroline Irwin, requested an additional bench for the children to use during Forest Schools, so one was purchased by The Greenspace and then constructed, in March. A piece of land next to the Story Telling Area was levelled and the bench installed there.
Bench under construction
Bench in final resting place
The site is very steep and constantly needs to be shored up. We have used railway sleepers successfully on parts of the site, but they are expensive and very heavy to carry, so in other parts we have just used wooden planks. After 5 years these are now beginning to rot so are being replaced. In probably the biggest project on the site this year, we have replaced one large section of rotting planks shoring up the Tinker Zone with a gabion wall, purchased using Greenspace funds. The first section was constructed in June. First a large amount of soil had to be moved and the the metal framework buried. The outer layer was then filled with stones from the Greenspace and other allotments, and the inner layer filled with soil.
Gabion framework being constructed
Gabion framework being buried
Outer compartment of gabion wall being filled with stones; inner compartment with soil.
The soil was then planted up with perennials, and has already become a feature in its own right.
Gabion wall planted up
Work then continued in September with the final section of gabion wall needed to shore up the Tinker Zone being installed, a rose arch (bought with Greenspace funds) installed, plus two climbing roses, between the two gabion walls to mark the entrance to the Tinker Zone and the flight of stairs at that point being repaired. A bench was then moved to a more prominent position in front of the gabion wall. Meanwhile Ben Rogers repaired the Tinker Zone work bench at the back.
New rose arch marking entrance to Tinker Zone
Second section of gabion wall, repaired steps and repurposed bench
Repaired Tinker Zone workbench
We have undertaken quite a bit of fundraising this year. As well as collecting donations from the provision of refreshments at our community events (more detail later) we had a plant stall at Lubrizol’s Family Fun Day at their Hazelwood site in July, which earned us £65. This was matched by Lubrizol and we are hoping to use these funds to buy a wildlife camera for the Greenspace. We also provided cakes and pies (all made with fruit from our gardens) and tea and coffee at a stall at the Milford and Makeney Flower and Produce Show in the Social Club in September, which earned us £124.
Greenspace plant stall at the Lubrizol Family Fun Day
Greenspace refreshment table at the Flower & Produce Show
As in previous years, we have organised community wide events on the Greenspace (and the refreshments we sell at these events bring in valuable funds.) In August 2024 we held a barbecue on the Greenspace, which was very well attended (>60 people) and in both October 2024 and October 2025 an Apple Day, where apple based crafts for the children were organised and apple based pies and cakes for sale.
Greenspace barbecue August 2024
Apple Day October 2024
And a few more photos from the most recent event, Milford Apple Day 11th October 2025.
Finally here are some pictures of the Greenspace flowers at various times since March 2025, showing how past efforts to increase the number of flowers on the site are coming to fruition.
March 2025
Also March 2025
Peace Garden May 2025
May 2025
Wildflower garden May 2025 including new fence paid for by the landowners (Strutt Estate) to keep people away from potentially dangerous wall.
