A Day in the Life of the Tangmere & Oving Community Wardens
Not a day goes by without being asked ‘So, what does a Community Warden do?’ This job is so varied; it can take a while to explain the whole range of issues we get involved in, so read on to find out more about a day in the life of your Community Warden….
11am
We arrive at the office in Oving to deal with emails and any messages that have been left from the night before. We then discuss any new information or issue that needs immediate attention. After a look through the diary, we plan our day ahead.
12.00 (fly tipping photo)
Sue takes the van for a fly tipping run around all the country lanes in Oving and Colworth, picking up anything that she can physically lift and put in the van to take to the Westhampnett Depot. She discovers a mattress that has been dumped on the verge and two large builder’s bags of rubbish – she reports this to the District Council’s Contract Services to remove. While Sue is out, Carol has a meeting with a lady from the Expanding Communities team about our latest fliers and posters printed in various languages for the migrant workers community.
14.00
We have a meeting with the organiser of the Battle of Britain Memorial Garden followed by a Junior Warden session, where the children put their ideas down on paper for the type of designs they would like to see on the metal containers. Based on their ideas, a student from the University of Chichester, Katie Davis, will put together a final design.
14.30
Time to go out on patrol. As we walk around we report a day burning street light, pick up some empty beer cans and report a car we see being driven without a current tax disc.
15.00
We go to the school to meet the Junior Wardens. Today we have arranged for them to visit the local beekeepers and learn about how bees are kept and how they make honey. The children get to dress up in beekeepers’ outfits and taste the Tangmere honey. We met the local PCSO on our way, and so we invited him to come along too!
16.30 After taking the children back to school, Sue meets a local resident who is having trouble with noisy neighbours. After a chat and taking some details, she reports the situation to the Housing Association so that they can deal with this situation appropriately. Meanwhile, Carol sets off with our local police officer for a foot patrol of Tangmere, paying special attention to the building site areas and other known ‘hotspots’.
17.30
After a quick cup of tea, we set off on another patrol around Oving, checking that
the play area is clean and tidy, as there has been a problem with dog fouling on
the recreation ground. As we walk down the High Street we spot one of the local
youngsters who has just taken possession of a motorbike. We have a chat about safety
(both for himself and others on the road) and make him aware of the penalties for
anti-
18.30
Finally, it’s back to Tangmere for a last patrol and to check on a derelict house in the village. This has been a problem with children getting into the property and we are concerned about the health and safety situation. The previously boarded up back window has been broken down again and we do our best to secure it as a temporary measure. As most people are home from their offices now, we will put this on our list of issues to report and deal with in the morning.
19.00
We finish a busy and eventful day, but we’ll be back again tomorrow!