Best Practice
BEST PRACTICE
FIELD OFFICER
On 1 May 2007 the EPFA took on our first Field Officer, Colin Freeman.
Colin worked for Essex Police for 25 years and much of his service in the police force was community based; indeed it is no exaggeration to say that Colin has been a pillar of the community for very many years in and around Essex. He has been a school governor for ten years, a church treasurer for fifteen years and he has been involved with the Voluntary Sector in one way or another for no less than 45 years!
He spent seven years as Essex Fundraising Manager for Marie Curie Cancer Care and has also been funding and fundraising advisor for a number of Councils for Voluntary Service in Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford. He has also had some experience of dealing with playing field issues with a couple of councils in Essex, so it will be swiftly apparent that we have captured an individual who, we are sure, will help us to continue to raise our profile and offer our membership a wider and better service.
One of the main areas that Colin will be concerned with is providing advice and information to our members following any feedback from judges of the Best Kept Playing Fields competition.
For some years now we have been aware that entrants to the competition are not told of any deficiencies that have been noticed by the judges, nor why – for instance – their facility didn’t receive higher marks. Now that Colin is on board we aim to rectify those issues.
There will be two ways in which you can tap into Colin’s advice and support: either give him a call (0845 1080124) if you would like to know what (if anything) was found lacking with your facility, or, if Colin picks up comments to cause concern from the judges’ marking sheets, he will contact you and offer his services. Either way, he will be prepared to meet you on site and discuss the matter.
This service will be free of charge to our members, although they will be expected to pay Colin’s travel expenses. And the upside is that if a problem is identified, Colin will probably be able to put you in touch with organisations that will be able to deal with it for you, and also invite you to submit a bid to our Small Grants Fund to help with any cost involved.
We must, however, stress that we are providers of help and support (and possibly funds!), but we do not provide a professional inspection service for playground equipment, or a thorough examination of soil conditions, for example. There are other, more qualified, organisations who will do that – for a suitable fee. We can, though, as part of our service, put you in touch with the appropriate firms or individuals.
As Colin has said in an article in The Playing Field, “My aim is to be able to offer professional advice and guidance relating to the issues, which can arise in respect of the day to day running of facilities. To this end the EPFA are funding my attendance on various training courses, which will supplement and enhance my understanding of the issues involved, as well as compliment my Health & Safety, Crime Reduction, Facilitation and Training Skills for which I hold appropriate qualifications, coupled with ‘hands on’ experience.
“In a nutshell, I am happy to help members to resolve local issues, to signpost, carry out site visits, and to give advice where required. Please feel free to contact me accordingly. I cannot personally guarantee to know all of the answers, but I’m sure that I will be able to find someone who will be able to help your organisation in matters that are outside of my knowledge base or remit.
“I would really appreciate your comments or suggestions regarding my role as your ‘Field Officer.’ In addition, I always welcome input from members and will be pleased to respond to your emails, letters or telephone calls.”
Colin I. Freeman MInstF. MIDPE. MITOL
EPFA Field Officer
Tel / Fax: 0845 1080124 Mobile: 07778 461214
