Rippingale Millennium Board

In 1999 I was approached by Rippingale Parish Council for help in providing information on wildlife of the village and surrounding countryside for a board to be placed on the village green to mark the millennium.

One side of the board was to feature the rich history of the village whilst the other side was to illustrate examples of the abundant wildlife. Artist Alison Atkins was commissioned to undertake the design and illustration with Pat Cottam and Rosetta Atkinson, the authors of the book "Rippingale Village" providing information for the "historical" side of the board, whilst I made suggestions of which plants and animals should be featured on the "natural history" side.

My idea was to use the churchyard with its rich and abundant flora as the main focus and radiate out from that taking in some of the more familiar birds and animals as well as specialities such as Barn Owls.

The board was erected to schedule for the millennium and still provides information for residents and visitors to Rippingale today.

Ian Misselbrook