A Newham man through and through Ben Woodall, Assistant Operations Manager, for our Parks and Green Spaces service had no idea as a schoolboy that his future would lie in making his home borough greener and more accessible.
“When I was younger I had no interest in gardening - and thought grounds maintenance was only about cutting the grass,” said Ben.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes in the way we work in my career at Newham .Nowadays it’s all about how we involve the local community and help nature thrive.”
The council uses no chemicals in its parks, which can prove a bit of a struggle for Ben’s team of 15 keeping our parks and green spaces attractive, open and accessible. “It’s not all about manicured grass anymore, although that has its place. But there are areas where we don’t cut the grass and have replanted native grasses which are thriving and we are seeing a real increase in insect life there.”
“For a few years we got complaints that we’d ‘missed bits’, but these have dropped off as we get better at involving people in what we are doing and explaining why.
“And since COVID when we saw an explosion of people using the parks and open spaces in the borough numbers have never really reduced – so we need areas which support people and all the bugs and butterflies that are essential for our future.”
His team’s most recent work has helped transform Beckton Meadows from an unloved cut through to the station, often used as a motorcycle racetrack, into a thriving park and wildlife area –engaging local people in the process.
“We got the local community involved in the seeding activity last autumn and it was great seeing all the families and kids enjoying finding out about the machinery we use and getting muddy helping us with the wildflower seeds. “
Ben and the team find that community involvement makes a real difference to how Newham’s green space is used and loved
“Recently we had around 100 school children out in Plashet Park helping us plant an orchard, and I think this gives them pride in their local area and will help us in the long run by reducing damage or antisocial behaviour in areas the community have a real involvement in.”
And even suffering from acute hay fever hasn’t stopped Ben in his work. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else or working anywhere else,” he says.
