EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS I keep reminding my
colleagues to take a step back every so often and think how lucky we are to work in such an
”
environment. It’s important that we try and avoid
having blinkered vision of things
Presentation is everything at Benenden... ... and the lawn areas are always hand cut
new pitch that Benenden's 1st lacrosse team won the National Schools Championship. It’s now part of Lee’s remit too, though he’s happy to admit that it’s a machine-based job rather than a science-based one. Cricket is a distinct possibility in the future at Benenden, but as yet there is no square. It’s a prospect Lee looks forward to, since he has experience of working on cricket pitches from his time at Ashford School. The Benenden grounds were badly affected by the so-called hurricane of October 1987 when apparently about 250 trees were lost. It is still an impressive mixed landscape of trees and open parkland as you drive into the grounds and, as autumn blends into winter, a huge priority for Lee and his team is leaf clearing, just about everywhere. Composting bays made out of railway sleepers see that the tonnes that are gathered up are re-used by feeding back into the gardens on a 3-year cycle. Lee has also been working with the local Parish Council on the maintenance and
redirection of public footpaths that cross the school’s grounds. His work is nothing if not varied.
There’s an obvious collective pride among the grounds team in the surroundings at Benenden. Lee encapsulates it by saying: “I keep reminding my colleagues to take a step back every so often and think how lucky we are to work in such an environment. It’s important that we try and avoid having blinkered vision of things.” “We always have to imagine what everyone else sees here. That certainly helps us focus on the job and get things right.”
Mowing one of the lacrosse pitches 66 PC December/January 2019
Part of the job now for Lee and his team - looking after the all-weather hockey and lacrosse pitch
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