Penny Brown, of the city council’s parks department, photographed (right) with volunteers at the Walnut Street ‘pocket park’ before they transformed it ready for a superb Tigers-based mural
Penny Brown, of Leicester City Council’s parks services department, spoke to Leicester Novus Rotary about the work of the department.
She revealed that 20 per cent of the land area within the city is managed by the department which she joined in 1985 as a trainee gardener at Evington Park.
Now, as the officer who encourages and manages teams of volunteers, she deals with organisations like Leicester Novus Rotary. Her first involvement came to fruition in the spring and summer of 2016 when Novus members and other volunteers prepared the ‘pocket park. at the junction of Walnut Street and Aylestone Road for a wonderful mural themed on Leicester Tigers, just over the road. More recently, Penny turned up on a cold November Sunday morning to advise, oversee and help Rotary and 18 De Montfort University students plant a coupe of thousand purple crocuses in Abbey Park.
Penny Brown (left) and the volunteers after the crocus bulbs had been planted
As part of her presentation, Penny encouraged Rotarians to close their eyes and listen to the sounds of birds recorded in a city park. All agreed that the experience had instantly de-stressed them.
Now the Rotary members are looking forward to being given a guided walking tour by Penny of Abbey Park.
If you would like to hear more — or to join the tour — please call 0116 292 8267.
