There are four major parks in The London Borough of Southwark - Peckham Rye, Burgess, Dulwich and Southwark Parks. Each has an active and vocal "Friends of" group. Quadron works with these groups by attending their meetings and encouraging the groups' members to accompany Quadron and Client managerial staff and, when relevant, gardeners and park keepers on site "walkabouts".
Southwark Park Walkabout together with Friends of group members and Council Officers.
Such face to face contact enables issues to be discussed and mutually resolved and leads to a much closer understanding and working together between the various parties. Quadron as the contractor is able to explain to the group members the reasons behind their activity, or lack of activity - for example if work has been left undone for conservation reasons. If the members want particular work to be undertaken that is outside the strict scope of the specification then both Client and Contractor are on hand to agree the work and its timescale, or to jointly provide reasons for why the work cannot be undertaken.
A practical example of collaboration with the Friends of Groups is in Dulwich Park where maintenance regimes have been changed to become more environmentally friendly at the request of the local residents: autumn leaves are no longer raked up in the informal areas of the park but left lying in order to encourage wildlife to forage. A wide perimeter is left unmowed around the edge of grass areas to allow strips of summer meadows to develop, thus allowing flowers to set seed and providing safe cover for wildlife. These areas are also particularly popular with dog walkers. Similarly, wide areas are left around the bases of trees.
Steve Cornish (Friends of Russia Dock Woodland Chair) says "Quadron have been our woodlands contractor for three years now. They are doing an excellent job in keeping our 30 acre woodland spic and span. The general public have built up a very good relationship with our two full time Quadron employees, who not only get on with their daily chores but respond to any problems which may arise from day to day. Russia Dock Woodland is only one mile from the City of London in a very built up and urban part of the capital, so we do have a fair share of anti social behaviour which we are gradually getting on top of. I generally meet with the two Quadron employees on a daily basis for any updates or any problems. Quadron's managers meet with us on site or at our regular meetings at all times."
Quadron's quarterly newsletters, "Groundbreakers" are also circulated to all Friends of group members, by email or hardcopy as preferred. These always include feedback forms to gain customer opinions.
