A day in the life of A Countryside Estate Officer

Managing Surrey's countryside

What is your name and job title?

I am Richard Hackett a Countryside Estate Officer for North Surrey.

Tell us about the team you work in?

I work in the Countryside Estates Team within the Environment, Property and Growth Directorate at Surrey County Council. As the Ranger for the North of Surrey a lot of my work is reactive, responding to issues and incidents reported by members of the public and our internal teams. If i'm not in the office reading through management plans and checking reports, I like to be out liaising with landowners and conversing with the public, running volunteer work parties, planting trees and keeping a watchful eye over our important heathland and woodland habitats.

What does a typical day look like for you?

As each day varies, it's important I stay organised, but a typical day can look anything like this:

• I like to get to the office early to check if any reports have come in from the day before. Any issues regarding health and safety are always prioritised and will need to go to the top of the list. Then it's off out on site with all the necessary tools for the day.
• There's a great variety of tasks to do in Surrey's countryside – it could be clearing an overgrown path to open it up for pedestrians and horseriders, removal of a tree hanging across a bridleway or close to a residence, repairing a gate or resurfacing the car parks across our countryside estate - to mention just a few.

Most tasks are completed by mid afternoon so I then head back to the depot to clean down the tools and pack them away for another day. Then it's back indoors to close off the issue that has been solved – which is always very satisfying!

What's the best bit about your job?

I work within a fantastic team of like minded individuals, whom all bring their own ideas and initiative which contribute to the team spirit and motivates us to work hard and complete our tasks.

In my previous role I worked as a warden for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) which involved educating people about the importance of nature and the communities of flora and fauna within the habitats, and all the wonderful birdlife!

I feel a great sense of satisfaction looking after our important countryside sites within Surrey and enjoy every moment that I get to spend in the beautiful Surrey countryside, come rain or shine!