Greenacres Lagoon

In May 2007, The Parish Council completed the purchase of the area known as Manor Farm Lagoon by using landfill tax funds. The area was bought from the Church Commissioners, and was restored and maintained by Lafarge for five years. It now belongs to the people of the parish, and the Parish Council undertakes the day-to-day maintenance of the area.

The land and water covers an area of 10.45 hectares (about 26 acres with the water covering about 16 acres of this), and was restored by Lafarge over five years as part of the land restoration plan.

It was sown with a wild flower mixture, including ragged robin, cuckoo flower, common vetch, meadow buttercup, ox-eye daisy knapweed and common bird's-foot-trefoil. The well established species of trees include dogwood, alder, field rose, field maple, oak, cherry and guilder rose, all seen as appropriate for this area. There are healthy reed beds in the margins of the lagoon, and together with the two islands, and the variety of vegetation on the site, provide ideal locations for nesting birds.

Manor Farm Lagoon was the old Lafarge name and describes its original quarry use, and in 2009 the Parish Council asked the parishioners for suggestions for new names.

From the suggestions received a short list of three names was published in the November 2009 edition of the Parish News with a request for parishioners to vote for their preferred name. The name that was selected was Greenacres.