Park Rangers To Be Employed in Local Parks
Service due to be introduced in Brentford and Chiswick by April
The official launch of the Park Ranger scheme
A park ranger service is being introduced in parks across the borough of Hounslow.
Nine Park Rangers will be tasked with engaging with members of the public to improve their visit, including providing information, advice and guidance about the parks and working alongside the park volunteering network.
The Rangers will be on hand to respond to incidents of anti-social behaviour, graffiti and fly tipping and will work with the councils’ enforcement team to prosecute offenders. The programme is being introduced following a pilot which took place earlier this year, and which the council says was received positively by the local community.
The rangers will be recruited and deployed in phases, starting with a team of one leader and two rangers in the central area of the borough including Thornbury Playing Fields, Jersey Gardens, Redless Park, St Johns Gardens. The eastern part of the borough which includes Boston Manor Park, Carville South, Chiswick Back Common, Dukes Meadow, Turnham Green, Strand on the Green Rec and Kingsley Road are expected to have Ranger teams in place by April.
In addition to their community engagement role, the Rangers will also be focussed on environmental protection, and will have responsibility for waste and recycling management, including sorting and separating out recyclable waste. They will also support the existing parks team with ad-hoc horticultural work.
Alongside traditional job advertisements, recruitment for the Park Ranger roles will be done in collaboration with the charity Groundwork London, which for 25 years has supported those furthest away from the labour market to access employment opportunities within the green economy. Groundwork London will identify candidates and deliver a practical horticultural training course that will equip them with the knowledge and skills they need for the job.
The new service is a collaboration between the council and Lampton Community Services (LCS).
Managing Director of LCS, Sam Leigh, said, “I’m delighted to announce the launch of the new Park Rangers programme. Our vision is to add real value to the local community, and we believe this programme is a great example of how we are doing just that.
“Feedback from our pilot earlier in the year showed us that the community hugely benefited from the presence of the rangers, so we’re glad to be able to continue with the scheme.
“Not only will residents in the borough be able to enjoy an enhanced service provided by the rangers, but we’re also working closely with Groundwork London to provide important training and employment opportunities to those who have found themselves out of work.
“This is just the first of many launches we have coming up over the next few months, and we’re all excited to see how we can transform the way we serve the local area.”
Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Steve Curran, said, “We want everyone in our borough to be able to make the most of the fantastic green open spaces on their doorsteps. Spending time outdoors appreciating nature can have real benefits for people’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing. Our borough boasts some of the best parks and open spaces in the city. They belong to all of us and we want everyone to take pride in them..”
Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, Cllr Samia Chaudhary, said, “The pilot programme proved popular, with some really positive feedback from the public. We have listened to this and have now taken steps to introduce the permanent ranger service. There are lots of exciting developments taking place in our parks and 2022 looks like it is going to be a great year for our green open spaces.”
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December 1, 2021