Newspaper
LI strengthens links with key players
President Nigel Thorne and director general Marion Bowman joined a one-day workshop on strategic issues facing Groundwork at Groundwork UK’s premises in Birmingham on 20 March. The workshop day was the brainchild of CABE Space director Sarah Gaventa, who brought together CABE Space staff, the Landscape Institute, Groundwork UK executives and landscape architects from a wide range of Groundwork Trusts. “Our theme was ‘Delivering quality places’,” said Gaventa. “Groundwork does important work with many hard-to-reach groups and on difficult sites, so the trusts have a major role in inspiring communities to expect – and get – the best from their environments.” Delegates were welcomed by Groundwork chief executive Tony Hawkhead, who said: “We employ more than 130 landscape architects, so it is important in our focus on quality to build relationships with CABE Space, the Landscape Institute and the many design firms we work with.” Break-out sessions on Achieving Quality, Knowledge and Skills, Supporting the Landscape Profession and the Impact of Funding on Quality analysed problems and identified actions to deliver quick wins as well as long-term strategies for development. Mark Knight, principal landscape architect at Groundwork Manchester, Salford and Trafford, presented a series of case studies of Groundwork schemes. He outlined the key issues facing the federation, including maintenance funding, low aspirations on the part of some clients, and staff retention. Nigel Thorne welcomed the day’s activity as a significant development in partnership working. “Our aim is to build the professional community and to ensure that landscape architects, wherever they are employed, can draw on the support of their peers and exchange professional knowledge,” he said. “We are developing the profession as a learning profession through the Pathway to Chartership and our approach to CPD, which is about to undergo a thorough review. “Groundwork is a significant force and can help us achieve many of our objectives, from getting careers messages out to young people in the communities where they work, to investing in training and development for its landscape architects and ensuring that landscape professionals are operating at the highest levels of decision-making within the organisation.” Outputs from the day are to be organised into agreed actions for the three organisations, and the Landscape Institute and Groundwork will be collaborating on developing a CPD programme for Groundwork as a primary priority. Discuss this article
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