Ditch the desk and head for nature

EVER dreamed of ditching the stuffy office job and getting back to nature?

Reporter Karen Doherty speaks to two people whose nine to five is more likely to be made up of pond dipping or tree planting than pen pushing and telephone calls.

MANY people spend eight hours a day stuck behind a desk.

But for 24-year-old Neil Dean, from Chadderton, his working day could involve everything from building a dry stone wall or mending a fence to clearing up storm damage.
The former gardener is an apprentice estate ranger with Oldham Countryside Service and said enthusiastically: “I just enjoy the job, full stop.

“We are out and about every day doing a variety of jobs. I really enjoy the freedom of being outside all the time rather than being cooped up in an office. Being with nature, seeing a job through to the end.

“We are not in any fixed location. We work from Diggle on the edge of Uppermill all the way down to Medlock Vale near Manchester and as far over as Crompton Moor. All over the borough.

“I find the job very rewarding, and I am working with a great team.”

That team also consists of a senior estate ranger and two estate rangers, who maintain Oldham’s 450 hectares of country parks, woodlands and other land like Crompton Moor.

Neil, a former pupil at Underlay Hall School, Kirkby Lonsdale, originally trained as a gardener and worked for a garden maintenance firm.

But an interest in biodiversity led to the change and his apprenticeship involves distance learning at Myerscough Agricultural College in Preston.

Lee Thompson, senior estate ranger, added: “We try to be proactive and have a planned work programme.

“But we find a quarter of our work is reacting to things, especially on a Monday when trees might have blown down and fences broken.”

Countryside officer Ruth Dodds jokes that she was destined for her job after growing up on the Polesden Lacey National Trust Estate in Surrey.

“I suppose you could say it was in my blood to do this kind of work,” said the 39-year-old who did a degree in human ecology at Huddersfield University.

“I have always been interested in wildlife and woodland. When I was a student I was very passionate about environmental issues and I wanted to do something in my work in some small way with these issues.”

Her job involves working with schools, putting together the countryside events programme, publicity and supervising the assistants in the borough’s countryside visitors centres.

“With schools it is very much dependent on what they are doing as part of the curriculum. Some of the activities we do are pond dipping, mini beast hunts, environmental games and forest classes,” explained Ruth.

“Forest classes originated in Denmark and it’s encouraging people to come out and enjoy a woodland setting regularly.

“They do all sorts of work like building dens and it has proven to be beneficial for children’s social and emotional development, which goes hand in hand with their academic development.

“They are learning to do things in a team, using their imagination.”

While some of Ruth’s work is office based, she added: “If I couldn’t get out I think I would find it very difficult.

“Because I am so passionate about wildlife, I really enjoy it when I work with the youngsters and that enjoyment rubs off on them. I find that really rewarding.”

As for anyone who would like to work in the field she added: “You do it for the joy of the job rather than the monetary reward!

“You have to be really dedicated to get into it, but if you are dedicated there is no stopping you.”

‘I enjoy the freedom of being outside all the time, rather than stuck in an office’