Incomers to Paxton are a pretty enterprising lot. It was a risky business buying a building plot from the main developer and at a high price as well. And then to form a trust and to find more money to turn it into a village green-small but perfectly formed. This afternoon another fund raising event –Tea on the Green will I hope be better supported than some of their previous attempts to raise cash. It is a curious thing this bit of enterprise has had its opponents, both locally and in a nearby village. Denizens of the latter feared that financial support for the Green might make it harder to attract funding for another pet project two miles away. Nearer home there was some obvious resentment by some of the ‘natives’ that incomers were trying to throw their weight around and muck around with ‘their’ village. This faction voted with their feet staying away in droves from fund raising events and making disparaging comments about the green-into their beer and in other directions. Ironic really as the continued availability of the beer (and now outstanding grub) is solely due to the efforts of yet more incomers, and English to boot. The Cross is bringing hungry diners into Paxton and putting the village on the gastronomic map of ‘Short Break’ Scottish Borders.
But the Green is a delight and a tribute to the hard work and perseverance of the Trust committee-against all the odds. And now some welcome good luck. The new developer of the Orchard has agreed to contribute a substantial amount of cash to the Green. This is in compensation for not having to provide an ‘amenity area’ inside his development. In fact the houses are so tightly crammed together-or will be soon-that the only conceivable ‘amenity might be a small tooth brush holder tacked on to the one remaining tree.
So Huttonian hopes that Tout Paxton will get to appreciate the Green and perhaps enterprising
people in the neighbouring village will follow suit.
