Adequate is not good enough...
That is what Kerry Mapp was advised by the Headmaster when he joined the staff at Canford School in Dorset as Head of Grounds and Gardens.
Report by Peter Britton A
few miles from the urban hustle and bustle of Poole, and on the outskirts of the market town of Wimborne Minster, lies the village of
Canford Magna. It is here that Canford School sits in 250 acres of conservation land on the banks of the River Stour. On a lovely spring day in mid March, I have come to visit Kerry Mapp, Head of Grounds and Gardens at the prestigious school. Kerry had contacted Pitchcare to see if we would be interested in a story about three of his team who have clocked up eighty-four years of service between them and, as the local boy, I was tasked with the job. I use the word ‘task’ lightly as, driving
through the school grounds, it becomes immediately clear that here are some stunning facilities and formal gardens. But, there is so much more, as I am about to discover.
The main school house sits
imposingly overlooking the main rugby pitch and, a few hundred yards away,
AFC Bournemouth are putting their players through their paces on a dedicated pitch used by them for training.
The house was originally the home of
Lord and Lady Wimborne and, as well as this estate, the family owned, at one time, a further 22,000 acres of Dorset, including Sandbanks. Evidence of a private avenue, lined with massive oaks, can still be seen, and this was used by the family on their outings to the coast so that they would be ‘out of view’ of the general public! With no successor, Lord Wimborne sold off much of the land, and the school was established in 1923 when the house and immediate grounds were purchased as part of that sale. In a relatively short time Canford now
sits proudly in the top co-educational public schools in the country, a fact that is not lost on Kerry or, indeed, the Headmaster, who told him when he joined that ‘adequate is not good enough’.
I meet Kerry in the mess room, where most of his thirteen staff are enjoying a mid-morning break. As time is called, the majority slip away to continue their duties, and I am left to talk with Kerry and his four deputies. Kerry came to the school two and half years ago. Originally from an agricultural background, Kerry had previously worked at Lord Wandsworth Agricultural College in Odiham, Hampshire where, for fifteen years, he managed a 1,200 acre estate, the last three also including the supervision of the grounds team.
“It was during this period that I really got the bug to work in grounds maintenance,” confesses Kerry. “So, I applied for the heads job here and, because of my management skills - at least I think that was the reason - I got offered the position. Much of my work revolves around the management of people, machinery, liaising with the school Bursar, setting budgets and so on. In truth, I have such a good team here
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148