Peter Watson, Steve Robson, Peter Hansom and David Coakes are based in Darlington’s oldest park, which is undergoing a £3.9m transformation thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
As well as tending the park’s flowers and trees, the team looks after other areas such as the football pitches, the showfield and the park’s animals.
The revamped South Park will have a new rose garden and sensory garden that will also need the attention of the team.
Outside the park, the gardeners have created floral displays for exhibitions such as the Chelsea Flower Show and Tatton Park as well as working to make the town centre roundabouts look more attractive.
Throughout their time at the park, the team has done much more than just gardening.
They regularly have to rescue dogs that go swimming in the lake and were involved in the high-profile chase to catch and return a stray deer to the wild earlier this year.
Lee Vasey, Darlington Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services said: “The team of gardeners do a really good job and it is amazing that between them they have put in more than 100 years work to keep South Park looking its best.
“This is an exciting time for the park and it is good to know that when all the work is done, the park will be in such safe hands.”
For more information about the restoration work at South Park.
