Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Features

Mark Gappa, Unsung Hero No.20

Jul 1, 2011
-
Posted by Nick Coquet

Brighton’s parks don’t grow on their own you know, there’s a huge team including Garden Manager, Mark.

Maintaining Brighton’s parks must take a fair bit of work – what do you do?
I look after the centre run – the Old Steine through St Peters, the North Vic Boulevard and some housing estates, planting wild flowers, 300 trees a year, tropical plants like bananas and grasses from Stanmer Nursery.

What are the biggest challenges facing the outdoor spaces in Brighton?
Well it’s a very young city so we get the usual problems with litter, but it’s mostly very positive because people enjoy and respect what we do. There’s obviously a lot of weeding and maintenance of the grass along the city centre sites, and wild flower sites need different management to encourage birds, butterflies and bumble bees.

Does the income from events on park space justify the inconvenience?
It’s generally written in that they have to tidy up. There’s always something for us to do afterwards, it depends on the weather and how long they’re there. We’ve got the equipment if it needs reseeding, but these are green spaces for all – you’ve got to have mixed use of an area. If the Lady Boys for instance are there for a month it’s only one month out of 12, we’ve got other areas people can use.

Is there much artificial maintenance or do you let nature evolve the spaces?
We do have to bolster areas with seeds to give them more depth and become a flowering wild meadow quicker. Nature would do that – it might take 15 or 20 years, but we can achieve it almost instantly. There are no harmful pesticides so it’s great for the bees; they’re all over these wild flower sites. A mown park is a bit like a green desert; nothing flowers, but if you leave them for a while there’s a real buzz of insect activity.

What do you think would make people use their parks more often?
It’s about having the mixture – we’re doing a site in Saltdean now with a bowling green, skate park, tennis courts and football pitches as well as a wild flower area. It’s all within two minutes of each other and helps make the parks universal and open to everyone.

Photo by James Kendall

More Unsung Heroes: Click Hereunsungx

Unsung Heroes
Jul 1, 2011
Email
Nick Coquet
Nick Coquet is the former Deputy Editor of SOURCE. He also DJs on the radio, designs websites and stands about in the nude for life drawing classes. He's shaken hands with Meat Loaf and bumped into Keith Richards, just so he could say he's touched him.
← PREVIOUS POST
Interview: Amir Williams
NEXT POST →
Street Style, Charlie
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Jim Jones All Stars Review
    Oct 26, 2025

    Jim Jones brought his new band to Brighton and absolutely tore the place up with a blistering set of raw rock 'n' roll.

  • Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts Review
    Oct 21, 2025

    Expectations are high with a new Inspector Morse story on stage, sadly this is more a ghost of a Morse story, although die hard fans might enjoy it for the nostalgia.

  • The Lovely Eggs Interview
    Oct 15, 2025

    The Lovely Eggs tell us about their 20th anniversary, the new album and tour with Polite Bureax and some comedy legends supporting.

  • Ocean Film Festival Review 2025
    Oct 11, 2025

    A selection of beautifully shot short films covering diverse ocean lovers' passion for interacting with the sea.

  • Fractured Album Launch, Saturday 20th December
    Oct 10, 2025

    Fractured celebrate the release of their new album supported by Amelia And The Housewives.

  • 2:22 A Ghost Story Review
    Oct 7, 2025

    An evening of two couples having dinner together has never before been so gripping and enthralling, filled with tension, with the ultimate question: is their new house haunted or not?

  • Richard Hawley Review
    Oct 5, 2025

    As Coles Corner turns 20, Richard Hawley dazzled and delighted an up-for-it Worthing crowd with a 2 hour-plus set.

  • Brighton Psych Fest 2025 Review
    Sep 26, 2025

    The second Brighton Psych Fest was a beauty as we got down with Getdown Services as the evening sunlight glowed through the Concorde Stained Glass.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Mark Gappa, Unsung Hero No.20 - Brighton Source