Denbighshire County Council’s Countryside Service team, working with BTCV Cymru are proving that conservation work in partnership with local communities can have a positive impact on unemployment in an area while enhancing our green spaces for the public and biodiversity.
The first six months of this partnership, which is part of Rhyl City Strategy’s Future Jobs Fund Programme, has come to an end and finished with very encouraging results. In January 2010 the partnership employed thirteen people on this innovative new scheme aimed at tackling unemployment through community based environmental projects. Twelve of the thirteen completed the scheme and four have gone straight into full time employment.
Tasks were focused on Countryside Service managed sites in the North of the County, which range from urban green open spaces through to coastal sand dunes and heather moorland. The employees from this first intake gained many practical skills from the range of work they were involved in, giving them the opportunity to learn a wide range of transferable skills, which has obviously assisted them in gaining full time employment.
Project officer, Jim Kilpatrick, said: “I am sure that the diversity of our work has helped the team enjoy the scheme.
“By being involved with positive conservation work on the ground it must have been a great motivational boost for someone, helping them go from the unwanted situation of being unemployed to receiving positive comments from members of the community.
“I feel this work not only benefits the community but also nature and the employees themselves. By the end of the scheme some employees were even coming in on their holidays as they liked the routine and work so much.”
Tina Jones the BTCV Manager for Denbighshire added: “It’s fantastic to be able to offer opportunities to young people, giving them a chance to secure employment. By gaining new skills it provides them with the experience to help them secure sustainable ‘green’ employment, and I am delighted that four have already gone on to achieve this.
“The scheme demonstrates a great partnership between BTCV Cymru, Denbighshire Countryside Service and Rhyl City Strategy working together to improve the quality of green spaces in and around the Rhyl area, and at the same time provides practical skills for the workers on the scheme, which will be essential for a low carbon future. The partnership is very much looking forward to welcoming another 12 young people on board under the Future Jobs Fund scheme and we will offer them the same rewarding experience and training’’
The success story is set to continue with a second intake for the Future Jobs Fund Conservation Workers starting next week. The work will again be taking place on Denbighshire’s Countryside Sites in the North of the County and again will be focusing on improving the area for visitors, local residents and biodiversity.
