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Two Mile Ash Schoolchildren enjoy a break from the classroom, planting bulbs in the local park.

On Monday the 28^thof November Two Mile Ash Environmental Group and Ashbrook First School children joined forces with Milton Keynes Council Environmental Department to plant daffodil bulbs in Two Mile Ash Local Park. more…

The weather was fine, dry and cold and the ground was soft and ideal for planting. The groups of children from Mrs Healey’s class at Ashbrook School were quite excited at the prospect of planting the daffodil bulbs and couldn’t wait to get started as the men from the council proceeded to dig the holes prior to the bulb planting. The children were each supplied with gardening gloves and in groups of four took turns to place the bulbs in the newly dug holes. The children then went to the back of the queue to wait their next turn.
Representing TMAEG were Tom and Ann Gaunt and Pat Gray. Over 600 daffodil bulbs were planted in just ninety minutes at the High Street entrance to the local park and further down on the grassy ‘island’ opposite the bridge over the stream. The adults enjoyed it as much as the children! This was the Environmental Group’s first practical event after the October 8^th launch. We hope this will be an annual event and watch out for the daffodils in the Spring!

TMAEG would like to thank the team headed by Tony Higgins and Tom Brockway from Milton Keynes Council who supplied the bulbs and also thank the children and staff of Ashbrook School for their enthusiasm.

Tom Gaunt

Launch of the Two Mile Ash Environmental Group (TMAEG)

The launch event took place on the evening of Saturday 8 October at the Holy Cross Church on the High Street. In his presentation, local resident, as well as town planner, Chris Gossop outlined the need for new thinking about the future of Two Mile Ash. Begun in 1983, this residential grid square with its total of around 2000 homes is located on what is currently the western edge of Milton Keynes. With its wide variety of house types, its two excellent schools, its beautiful landscaping and its distinctive village centre, Two Mile Ash has been a fine place to live. However, some features are beginning to show their age and, as elsewhere in our country, there have been local traffic conflicts as car ownership and use has continued to grow.

The campaign that led to the formal launch arose out of such a conflict. Some twenty mature trees had been felled within the previous 18 months, for the most part to ease parking alongside Two Mile Ash School (the middle school) , and there were plans afoot to provide more spaces within the landscaped strip to the west of the local store, One Stop. But as residents argued, that would result in the loss of ten trees, eight them particularly fine maples, for a net gain of just nine car parking spaces and the integrity of this area as a pedestrian corridor and amenity for residents would be badly eroded. In the end, that argument won the day. Some additional parking is to be provided, but in a far less destructive way.

In the view of TMAEG, it is time for new thinking about Two Mile Ash. That thinking should be about the following (among other things):

• How Two Mile Ash can be sympathetically renewed in a way that reflects the essence of its original structure and design, focusing, in particular, on the main areas of public realm within the village centre.
• More imaginative ways to ease present conflicts caused by mainly school related traffic and parking.
• How all sections of the TMA community might become involved in ways to improve our environment.

TMAEG’s purpose and detailed objectives

There is much that TMA residents could do to contribute towards practical improvements.  So the new Environmental Group has developed a partnership with BTCV, a national charity whose aim is to involve local people in their environment.  As Community Project Officer Monique van Assouw explained at the launch, BTCV is already active in Milton Keynes and it is intended that its involvement should now cover projects in TMA.  It is likely that those works will include the rehabilitation of the pond in Stone Hill.
Link to TMAEG plans pond restoration.

But, TMAEG will also be working with the local schools. Already, the first such project has been carried out in the form of bulb planting by Ashbrook School children in the Local Park.
Link to Launch of Two Mile Ash Environmental Group.

At the launch meeting, a committee was elected and the main features of a formal constitution for TMAEG were discussed.  With a few detailed changes, that constitution was approved at the first meeting of the TMAEG committee.
Link to Constitution.

It was confirmed at the launch that membership of TMAEG should be set at just £5.00 per household.
How to join TMAEG