Went for an interview for a Park Wardens job in Manchester and got it !!. Have to wait about a month for my enhanced CRB check to clear but then I'm out there. Manchester park wardens are more like countryside rangers than the archetypal peaked cap and shiny boots "get off my grass" brigade... Can't wait
Just read a write up on Manchester Councils website from one of the current wardens....Seems Ideal !!
Dave Suggett is nothing like the traditional stereotype of the park warden - a peak-capped official who ticks off anyone who doesn't meet with his exacting standards.
Wielding a chainsaw in casual sweater and pants, Dave is definitely more the gentle urban eco-warrior, concerned with making the city's green spaces appealing and sustainable areas where everyone can enjoy a wide range of activities.
"We are trying to get away from that enforcer stereotype," Dave reveals, as he dons his kit at Platt Fields visitor centre and prepares to fell a few trees as part of the remit of an ongoing woodland management programme.
"The park warden's job is much more community focused, trying to engage people in a more positive way. We want the community to feel they own the park and be active in the development of its role and its use. That is very important."
Dave hasn't always worked outdoors but he has been in the job for two years now and is relishing every minute of it. "For me it was about a career change basically. I was a manager in an office and I was fed up with that. I wanted to work outside and have a better work/life balance. I have always loved this environment, so I was lucky to get this job," explains the 34-year-old.
"I completed a Masters degree in 2000 at Manchester University. However, being a park warden is more about experience than qualifications; for example, working with kids is a valuable component and I had done lots of voluntary work with kids in the past. I have a love of the outdoors, and I have the chance to do lots of different things."
Initially, he worked a probationary three-month period before landing his dream job in Manchester. Now, his main role is to assist in the development and management of 11 parks and green spaces throughout the city. For this he is establishing and working closely with a number of Friends groups. Such groups are about ownership, he says, making people feel the city's green spaces are theirs and that they have a say in everything from how they are run, to what they are.
Another strand to his work is encouraging biodiversity through a range of different initiatives, from putting up bat boxes to creating bug 'hotels', and he also works on educational projects as part of the national curriculum.
"On a normal day I might come into the office and do some paperwork and then do some work on site. For example, at Whitworth Park we are reinstating some old Victorian features and at Ardwick Green and Swinton Grove Parks we are developing butterfly gardens," says Dave. "It is very varied and every day is different; that's what I love about it. I am not just sitting at a desk waiting for work to come in. There is always something to do."
Of course, there are times when Dave does have to conform a little more to the traditional park-keeper role, dealing with potentially troublesome issues like dog control or unruly behaviour.
"We do have to deal with antisocial behaviour and work closely with the police and voluntary agencies," he reveals.
"Being based at Platt Fields Park I've also dealt with wildfowl rescues. For example, we had to rescue an injured swan in the past, so we get the RSPCA involved."
Dave works as part of a team of six wardens working in four sectors of the city - central, north, south and east - and each warden is given a ward in which to develop the parks. He finds the Friends groups a valuable source of support too.
"The qualities needed for the job? Well, you've got to be confident and self-assured - after all, sometimes you're telling people not to do things, and of course you've got to love the outdoors," he says. "It's the best job I have ever had and is exactly where I wanted to take my career. I am a long way from the office treadmill."
Just read a write up on Manchester Councils website from one of the current wardens....Seems Ideal !!
Dave Suggett is nothing like the traditional stereotype of the park warden - a peak-capped official who ticks off anyone who doesn't meet with his exacting standards.
Wielding a chainsaw in casual sweater and pants, Dave is definitely more the gentle urban eco-warrior, concerned with making the city's green spaces appealing and sustainable areas where everyone can enjoy a wide range of activities.
"We are trying to get away from that enforcer stereotype," Dave reveals, as he dons his kit at Platt Fields visitor centre and prepares to fell a few trees as part of the remit of an ongoing woodland management programme.
"The park warden's job is much more community focused, trying to engage people in a more positive way. We want the community to feel they own the park and be active in the development of its role and its use. That is very important."
Dave hasn't always worked outdoors but he has been in the job for two years now and is relishing every minute of it. "For me it was about a career change basically. I was a manager in an office and I was fed up with that. I wanted to work outside and have a better work/life balance. I have always loved this environment, so I was lucky to get this job," explains the 34-year-old.
"I completed a Masters degree in 2000 at Manchester University. However, being a park warden is more about experience than qualifications; for example, working with kids is a valuable component and I had done lots of voluntary work with kids in the past. I have a love of the outdoors, and I have the chance to do lots of different things."
Initially, he worked a probationary three-month period before landing his dream job in Manchester. Now, his main role is to assist in the development and management of 11 parks and green spaces throughout the city. For this he is establishing and working closely with a number of Friends groups. Such groups are about ownership, he says, making people feel the city's green spaces are theirs and that they have a say in everything from how they are run, to what they are.
Another strand to his work is encouraging biodiversity through a range of different initiatives, from putting up bat boxes to creating bug 'hotels', and he also works on educational projects as part of the national curriculum.
"On a normal day I might come into the office and do some paperwork and then do some work on site. For example, at Whitworth Park we are reinstating some old Victorian features and at Ardwick Green and Swinton Grove Parks we are developing butterfly gardens," says Dave. "It is very varied and every day is different; that's what I love about it. I am not just sitting at a desk waiting for work to come in. There is always something to do."
Of course, there are times when Dave does have to conform a little more to the traditional park-keeper role, dealing with potentially troublesome issues like dog control or unruly behaviour.
"We do have to deal with antisocial behaviour and work closely with the police and voluntary agencies," he reveals.
"Being based at Platt Fields Park I've also dealt with wildfowl rescues. For example, we had to rescue an injured swan in the past, so we get the RSPCA involved."
Dave works as part of a team of six wardens working in four sectors of the city - central, north, south and east - and each warden is given a ward in which to develop the parks. He finds the Friends groups a valuable source of support too.
"The qualities needed for the job? Well, you've got to be confident and self-assured - after all, sometimes you're telling people not to do things, and of course you've got to love the outdoors," he says. "It's the best job I have ever had and is exactly where I wanted to take my career. I am a long way from the office treadmill."
