Locals 'over the moon' at Green-haven funding

Royds Community Association has netted £50,000 from the Millennium Commission to set up a Millennium Green, Otley has also been given £30,000 a similar green.

Raj Panesar, project development officer at Royds, said it was excellent news for the community.

"We are over the moon, it will make a huge difference to people on the Buttershaw estate," he said.

The association plans to establish a green the size of about three football fields around the new health centre.

It forms part of a major project, Putting the Heart Back into Buttershaw, a long-term scheme to regenerate the run down area.

Flower beds, seating and a herbal garden will be planted in the green and an 'anti-dog' grid will be installed to stop strays from fouling.

Mr Panesar said it was the next step on the path to turn around Buttershaw and make people proud of the community to which they belong.

"We are trying to get rid of the stigma attached to estates like Buttershaw and give people ownership and respect so they can be proud of the area."

It is the second celebration in a week for the Royds Community Association. Last week it discovered it had been successful in a £313,000 bid to the National Lotteries Charities Board.

That cash will fund a new community centre on the Woodside Estate.

Meanwhile at Otley, £30,000 was awarded from the Millennium Commission to create a new public space

Ronnie Duncan, who gave the land alongside the river for the green in Otley, said he was delighted.

"It was a dream that we had that this land, which is really derelict for us, will become something for the public enjoyment."

The Millennium Green scheme is organised by the Countryside Commission and aims to re-establish green spaces in towns and cities. It is funded by the Millennium Commission, which receives 20 per cent of the proceeds of the National Lottery.

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