Swinford2000 was officially formed in March 1999, after a group of villagers had got together with the aim of finding a way for the village could mark the millennium, in a permanent way, not just a street party. That original committee consisted of John Biggin (Chairman), Megan Partridge (Treasurer), Elaine Treacy (Secretary), Martin Wright, Brian Priest, Eric Bennett, John Morris and Liz Bell (soon to be Morris).
The village had already been canvassed for suggestions of what they would like to be done, and later these were narrowed down to the three most popular and feasible ideas. The clear favourite was a children’s play area, but the problem was where to locate it. There were concerns about crossing roads and that it could be subject to misuse if it wasn’t easily visible.
Much work was carried out to eventually secure access to a plot of Glebe land immediately behind the grassy area in front of The Limes, on the Rugby Road. It’s important to remember that the area we now know as the village green, was just a roughly mown area of grass, with a bench on it, that was occasionally mown by the Highways department from Harborough Council.
In the meantime, much fundraising was required to develop the play area and equip it with several high quality pieces of equipment from Playdale. Driven by John Biggin, many events took place over the next 18 months to raise the necessary funds, such as a Caribbean night in the village hall, a ball was held at Stanford Hall, several quiz nights, aswell as attending various events at Stanford Hall, rattling buckets. Eventually over £28,000 was raised and work could begin on developing the area.
Many weekend working parties, led by Martin Wright, prepared the area, fenced it off and installed the equipment and laid tons of wood chippings. Two sections were created, an area for smaller children and one for older children, linked by a gate and included bench seats and litter bins. A curvy, tarmac path was put across the green area, from the pavement to the playground gate, with two decorative trees on either side, and flower beds were cut into the grass and planted with shrubs, to give the whole area a more welcoming feel.
The play area was officially opened at an event in late summer, on the Green, with live music all afternoon, a bbq, beer and Pimms tent, and various games for both young and not so young. This was such a success, that it has become an annual affair, known as The Party on the Green, it has been one of the main sources of fundraising, which is very necessary to pay for ongoing maintenance of the play area and it’s equipment.
The Party on the Green, is still held on the first Saturday of September. Although the format remains largely unchanged, it has evolved and grown over the years. For a few years it was preceded by a 10km and 5km fun run, which started and finished alongside the Green at the start of Stanford Road. Whilst the run was great fun, it was a huge amount of work, without producing much revenue, so was dropped after a few years, after the main driving force behind it, moved away from the village.
Because of the popularity of the Party on the Green, a similar event was introduced in early December, The Christmas Fayre. Every year Martin acquires a large Christmas tree that takes centre stage on the village green. Mulled wine, mince pies and local beer are sold, three large braziers plus a brass band, roasted chestnuts, hot pork rolls and Christmas carols, all combine to create a wonderful warm, welcoming festive feel. Whilst this event doesn’t contribute as much revenue at the summer event, it provides a perfect opportunity for the village to come together and enjoy a very social evening to kick off the festive period..
In 2007, prompted by the reduced bus service to Swinford, it was suggested by the then Chairman, that we investigate the feasibility of running a mini-bus service, to help people get to Lutterworth and Rugby more easily. To test the water, a very secondhand Ford Transit was purchased, which would be available to book for self-drive or with a driver for personal and family trips and for the use of village groups and sports teams to get to and from events.
The mini-bus proved a great success and covered its own costs from the start. Building on this, a much newer and smarter bus was bought to replace the old one, and this has regular use by the village school and many other groups and families. It is managed and maintained by Martin Wright and has proved to be a great asset to the community.
More recently, Swinford2000 has taken responsibility for the upkeep of the defibrillator, that is situated outside the village hall. Whilst it is hoped that this will never be required, it is a great safety asset for the community, that could potentially be a life saver.
Over the years, Swinford2000 has had many committee members, who have played their part and moved on, as well as several chairmen and chairwoman, but it always welcomes willing volunteers and people who can help on certain occasions. Above all, it has become an invaluable part of the village community and continues to make progress every year.
