In March 2020 a small group of residents got together to improve and care for our local environment. Our aim is to plant and maintain trees, shrubs, flower borders and bulbs for everyone’s enjoyment. This will also benefit nature and mitigate some of the effects of climate change.

Since then the Greener Greenham Group https://greenergreenhamgroup.org.uk has planted 80 trees, some in front gardens under an adopt-a-tree scheme and others on the Stroud Green Triangle, Audrey’s Meadow, Diamond Playing Field, close to the Control Tower on Greenham Common as well as near the Blue Gate entrance to Greenham Common and various other open spaces. We have worked closely with West Berks Council, Greenham Parish Council and BBOWT.

Thousands of bulbs are planted every year and can be seen in the spring and summer on Stroud Green, School Green, Pyle Hill, Westwood Road, Pigeons Farm Road, the top of New Road and New Road by St Mary’s Church. The total number of bulbs planted so far is 15,000.

We have planted and maintain two new hedges, one in Audrey’s Meadow and another at the top of New Road beyond the church.

We organise regular litter picks with the help of other volunteers, participate in the Great British Spring Clean; plant and maintain flower borders and tubs at Greenham Control Tower, Westwood Road and a footpath border.

We are a very small group who enjoy what we do. We are always happy to welcome new members. We have been well supported in our community events, for instance in 2021 we had help from 50 local people to plant bulbs on Stroud Green in a snowstorm! We are grateful for financial support from donations, grants from Greenham Parish Council, Newbury Town Council and The Greenham Trust.

Our plans for the future? We will continue to work with BBOWT to improve the wonderfully peaceful Audrey’s Meadow - particularly enhancing the wildflower content of the meadow. We will join the efforts initiated by Newbury Friends of the Earth to build Nature Corridors linking green spaces in the whole Newbury area and involving scouts groups and local residents to raise awareness of the benefits of wildlife friendly gardening. We will also align our activities with the Local Nature Recovery Plan for West Berks and have the opportunity to buffer the ancient woodland of West Wood by planting trees along its southern border.