Greenham Common Trust's fifth anniversary celebration

Sir Peter Michael presents Penny Locke of East Garston Amenities with a cheque for £15,000.	Sir Peter Michael presents Jill Fraser of the Watermill Theatre with a cheque for £23,000.

Greenham Common Trust marked its fifth anniversary with an evening celebration at New Greenham Park on Wednesday for organisations and charities that have benefited from charitable awards given by the Trust since 1997.

Around 120 individuals from over 40 organisations attended the event and were entertained by Time Spanner, the community band and a number of societies and charities with displays and demonstrations of their work, including the Newbury Samaritans, the Newbury Motor Project, and the Kennet Valley Guild, Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.

At the event the Watermill Theatre and East Garston Amenities were presented with cheques for the Trust's 2002 major awards that were announced earlier this month. The Watermill Theatre received £23,000 to support its 2003 production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and East Garston Amenities was awarded £15,000 to provide a child play area and public recreational facilities on the village's millennium field, that is to be discussed at an open village meeting in the near future.

Sir Peter Michael, Chairman of Greenham Common Trust says: "We are justifiably proud of our achievements since 1997. The last five years have seen a truly dramatic transformation of the former airbase with Greenham Common once more open to the public as a natural resource. New Greenham Park is now a thriving business campus, of real social value, that will produce a significant flow of money for local organisations and charities for generations to come."

Since 1997 The Trust has made a major financial investment, which has enabled the forward funding of the restoration of the 750-acre Greenham Common and the creation of New Greenham Park, which generates rental income and allows annual awards to be made to community projects and charities in the Hampshire and West Berkshire area.

For more information about the Trust's Grant Aid contact Melissa Elliott on 01635 817445 or email melissa@greenham-common-trust.co.uk.