PARK MANAGEMENT

Ian Ross has taken on the role of Bi-Borough Parks Manager following Barrie Maclaurin's retirement. This means he has overall responsibility for some 90 parks in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham. No mean task.

For the past 12 years Ian worked with Ealing Council, rising from Ranger to Parks Operations Manager. This provided valuable experience from which Holland Park will benefit: nature conservation, biodiversity, trees management, outdoor sports and events. Ian feels one of his greatest achievements is Northala Fields in Ealing. Waste from the original Wembley Stadium and Westfield was used to create the new park, with habitats for wildlife, water as a major feature, and recreational facilities.

What appealed to him about the Royal Borough was its reputation for the quality of its green spaces, Holland Park being the supreme example. This faces him with a challenge. He says: 'When quality is already high, it is that much harder to make improvements, but I am determined to build on the good work of my predecessor.' It is clear that long-term strategy is important to him. One further attraction Ian mentioned is Park Management's practice of accountability by standards achieved, rather than absolute measures of tasks completed.

Since his arrival in March he has absorbed an enormous amount of information. For such a busy man his recall is impressive. Don't tell Ian anything if you don't want action.

[Summer 2014]

The Walking Man

The Walking Man statue by Sean Henry is now a permanent fixture thanks to generous donations for the purchase of the statue, including £15,000 from The Friends. The statue we have had on loan in the park for 14 years was reclaimed by the artist, but he did make five identical walking men, and the Council was able to negotiate purchase of the last unsold statue of the five.

[Spring 2014]