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In response to an initiative of the Millennium  Commission,
to establish and fund new "village greens" across the nation, Blundeston put forward a proposal, in 1996, to establish a Millennium Green. The initiative encouraged members of local communities to work together to improve their local environment and to leave a natural legacy for future generations. The "greens" are intended as areas of open space to be enjoyed permanently by the local community; places where people can relax, children can play and everyone can enjoy nature.
The piece of land selected for our proposal was approximately 3.5 acres in the heart of the village, between the Church and the village hall. The land was owned by the Norwich Diocesan Glebe land Commissioners and was subject to an agricultural tenancy. It was scheduled as public open space in the area structure plan. The opportunity to secure this piece of land for the benefit of the village in perpetuity, and under the protection of a Trust deed was too precious to miss.
A scheme to develop the green was drawn up with the help of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The plan included native tree and hedge planting, a wild flower meadow and the incorporation of an existing pond into a wildlife area. It was important that the area should be easily and readily accessible to the disabled. The Countryside Commission (now the Countryside Agency) who ran the "greens initiative" made a number of site visits and were sufficiently impressed with the site and our plans to encourage us to try to purchase the land.
With the cooperation of the Norwich Diocese and the tenant farmer the village were eventually able to purchase the land for £16,000, half of which had to be raised by the local community. This included a most generous donation of £3,000 from a parishioner but was mainly made up of numerous small donations including gifts of pocket money from many small children. As a result Blundeston became only the second Millenium Green in Suffolk, early in 1998. It is one of 255 throughout England, sponsored by the Countryside Agency. They have provided matched funding from the national lottery for every penny that the village has raised including the nominal costs of volunteer labour and equipment hire. The Agency has also been a source of considerable help and encouragement throughout in helping us to establish the green in perpetuity, under a Trust deed, with a board of ten local trustees.
From the outset the local community have been enthusiastic about the idea of a Millenium Green. They have been involved in all stages of its design and have formed volunteer working parties to carry out all the work. The local primary school have also been involved in establishing a wildlife area. This spirit of cooperation was one of the factors in the award in 1998 of the title "Waveney Village of the Year".
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