INVESTNG IN FACILITIES
Great work going on in local parks
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR
 
Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

Last week I had the pleasure to meet some very dedicated local authority staff who have spent many years looking after two quite different local authority public open spaces in Staffordshire. 


I visited Victoria Park in Staffordshire and Stone Cemetery, also in Staffs, as part of my Green Flag Awards 2021 judging campaign.


I always enjoy the opportunity to meet the people who have the responsibility of managing these sites. Far too often they are not receiving the recognition they deserve for the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure these facilities meet the expectations of their local communities. 

 


Victoria Park was my first destination, set in two hectares of prime Stafford town centre land on the banks of the river Sow.

 

 

It is the town’s showpiece park and within its small boundaries, the park  provides a wealth of community facilities - toilets, café, bandstand, bowling green, shelters, bird aviaries, play areas and education rooms to name a few. All are well used and enjoyed by a passing crowd of everyday visitors.

 

 

 

The other site was Stone Cemetery, again run by the same local authority, Stafford Borough Council, - and again a nicely maintained facility. So much so, I will be revisiting both these sites again soon to get a more in-depth insight into the running of these two facilities, which will enable me to produce a feature article on the trials and tribulations of managing and maintaining local authority public open spaces. 

 

Rewilding

 

While on the subject of local authority parks and open spaces I recently read a very interesting article on rewilding - where local authorities are being encouraged to rewild some of their land assets to combat climate change and the loss of wildlife. 


The definition of rewilding as stated by Rewilding Britain is, “Britain should be teeming with wildlife. Instead many of our wildlife populations – from songbirds to insects and plankton – are collapsing. To repair our planet we must urgently achieve net carbon zero — and natural climate solutions can contribute significantly to this aim. Protecting our living world and our climate are largely one and the same. And rewilding, the large-scale restoration of ecosystems to the point where nature can take care of itself, plays a vital role in both.” 


I personally think many of our golf courses, schools and local authorities are contributing to enhancing (rewilding) where they can. It is generally down to how much they can achieve without compromising or infringing on their primary functions.

 

We will no doubt hear a lot more about rewilding and its benefits in the coming years. 

 

 

On a final note, I also managed to call in to see Andy Wood at Enville Golf Club last week, who like most course managers, has been working flat out to get the course ready for the new golfing summer season.

 

Again we will shortly be featuring a snapshot of how he and his staff have been coping during such a challenging Covid year.

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