Public Places “


The new circular trail will mean that a variety of users - walkers, adapted wheelchair users, runners, cyclists and those with pushchairs can easily use this route to explore the wider estate


Work progressing on the circular trail


use this route to explore the wider estate. The conversation then steered around to


the staff and volunteers who are essential for the smooth running of the estate. Sean has three and a half permanent gardeners, three and a half rangers who are responsible for forestry and woodland management (the half person works as both a gardener and a ranger) plus forty volunteer gardeners and thirty volunteer rangers. I suggest that it must take a lot of time to manage such a large team, especially organising the volunteers. “You might think so, but it all runs very smoothly. We have six main garden areas and the team is split between those. The volunteers tend to work set days, so it sorts itself out. We are responsible for all the grounds and woodland management on the estate, the holiday cottages, Angel Corner - a Grade II Listed building in Bury St. Edmunds - and we support Melford Hall, another National Trust property in Long Melford,


Although the Walled Garden is not contemporary with the House as it exists today, it was created when the Old Manor House was in existence over a century earlier


” John Hervey, the first Earl of Bristol, was responsible for the construction of the Summerhouse 76 I PC APRIL/MAY 2017


with gardening staff one day a week.” “My role is to manage the teams and


provide strategic guidance to ensure that our plan is on target - short, medium and long- term. One of my gardeners is responsible for managing and organising the volunteers, so all I have to do in that area is monitor what’s going on. You need different skill sets to manage the staff and the volunteers. One group are employees, the others are here of their own free will, so there’s a subtle distinction to how you manage both groups. We have some long-serving, dedicated people here and it's a great place to work.” “All new staff, be it employees or


volunteers, undertake an online National Trust induction programme and then they have a property induction, which involves visiting all departments, followed by a tour of the estate. The final part is a departmental induction, where all Health and Safety matters are addressed and on- the-job training is undertaken. Across the


Trust, many permanent staff begin as volunteers, prove themselves, go through the interview process and, if successful, eventually become full-time employees. And we get quite a few people who leave high pressure, stressful jobs for the comparative tranquillity of working for the Trust in stunning surroundings. We are proud of our diversity and our teams are a mix of people, some with health or physical issues, but all are treated equally.” “The National Trust offers great career opportunities and they are very supportive when it comes to training and developing staff. For example, when it became obvious that the Italianate nature of Ickworth was more significant than first realised, I secured a bursary to visit some of the best gardens in Italy to see the planting and features that make a stunning attraction. Most of these gardens would feature a grotto or secret secluded space. Our Stumpery was an innovation directly attributable to that visit.”


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