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Ferry Meadows: A year in the life
Spring Spring is the time to get the park ready for the visitors who will start coming in their droves from Easter.
Spring
Spring is the time to get the park ready for the visitors who will start coming in their droves from Easter.There is tidying to be done, and signs to be cleaned and painted.
The seemingly never-ending process of mowing the grass also starts in the spring.
Hedge cutting takes place but has to stop as soon as birds begin nesting.
If the winter has been very wet, there will still be some jobs left over from then.
In the spring the rangers start working late nights to cover the park's opening hours.
Summer
General maintenance work is harder to do in the summer as the usage of the park reaches its peak.
Work tends to be more reactionary, responding to problems highlighted by the public, for example dealing with any vandalism.
This is also when the rangers find themselves helping out members of the public in all manner of ways, including first aid and finding lost dogs.
A slightly unusual task carried out by a ranger in the summer months is Elm tree injections.
This is done to prevent four mature elms outside the visitor centre from getting Dutch elm disease. The ranger uses something similar to a home brew kit and foot pump to inject a fungicide under pressure into the base of the trees.
This is best carried out in the summer as this is when the sap is rising and liquid is being drawn up the trunk to the crown.
Autumn
As the park gets quieter, so a lot of work starts to be carried out on the trees, including thinning them out so the stronger ones can grow better.
If any work needs to be done by contractors, for example footpath repairs, it is done in the autumn when the park is not as busy.
Hedge cutting which had to be stopped while birds were nesting can now be resumed.
Winter
While the weather is more than likely cold and wet, the rangers and estate workers undertake indoor work such as decorating.
In the winter just gone they refurbished the visitor centre and the shop.
Any machinery maintenance which is needed is also carried out in the winter, and the activity programme for the following year is put together before Christmas.
Outside work includes extensive work on the woodlands and tree plantations.
Hedge laying is also undertaken.
This uses a traditional technique which creates a dense stock-proof hedge. Although it is not a requirement in the park, it has a real benefit for the wildlife, especially nesting birds.
Next page: Variety is the spice of life for rangers
Read our feature and watch video: Behind the scenes at Ferry Meadows.Variety is the spice of life for rangers
FROM stopping couples canoodling to rescuing people stuck in the mud, the job of the park rangers is never dull to say the least.
The Nene Park Trust rangers are employed to do a variety of jobs, including opening and closing the sites, checking for vandalism, liaising with and helping members of the public, as well as the maintenance and repair.
They also help run events and guided walks and carry out first aid when needed, as well as supervising external events held at Ferry Meadows, for example the Firework Fiesta, which usually attracts between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors.
As well as the rangers, estate workers carry out very important work across the Nene Park Trust sites.
They are involved in work generated by the senior rangers, including
routine maintenance such as tree pollarding, fencing, hedge cutting and building maintenance.
But although the rangers and estate workers are vital, both Steve and Chris acknowledge there are other people whose role is also important.
"The public are the best people we've got in the park, really," Chris said. "They're our eyes and ears."
Some of the regular visitors to the park have the on-call ranger's number programmed into their mobile phones in order to report any problems when they see them.
Steve recalls having to have a word with a naked amorous couple, who, despite being in some bushes, were still having a bit too much fun near to public footpaths.
"A member of the public had been with their family and had wandered past them," he said. "They mentioned it to me and I had to go and have a word with them.
"They were quite embarrassed, but I think they realised they weren't in the right place."
Other strange jobs the rangers have to do include breaking into cars to help visitors who have locked themselves out of their vehicles (Steve said the record is 10 seconds), and asking topless sunbathers to cover up.
On one particularly memorable evening, Steve had to help a young boy who had got stuck in the mud while wading out to a boat.
With an audience of 30 or 40, Steve initially tried to throw the lifebouy but the youngster could not pull himself out.
"In the end I just had to wade out and get him," Steve said. "I tried to lift him out but he was well and truly stuck in it. I yanked him out and took him home."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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