Marion Buggins
I joined the Royal Parks Foundation in April this year (2014) so am a relative newbie. My role is really varied which is one of the things I love about it (pre-empting the questions below!).
In a nutshell I help organise corporate volunteer days, act as the communications champion for our range of Community Engagement events, support any adhoc projects which pop up, from Hedgehog conservation projects to eco-friendly tennis balls and manage Team Squirrel, our scurry sporty supporters!
The best thing about my job is… the variety! I am lucky enough to work across a number of teams and projects. No day is ever the same – from searching for hedgehogs at 1am in the morning in Regents Park to chasing one of my colleagues dressed as a squirrel around Hyde Park. As well as the more ‘conventional’ tasks like writing press releases, supporting volunteer days and managing Team Squirrel.
I also love the fact that I work for a charity I am genuinely passionate about - I couldn’t imagine living in London without it’s Parks and am so glad I can spend my days helping support them!
My favourite Royal Park is... probably Regent’s Park, mainly because I have spent so much time there – my old office was right next to it so many a lunch break was spent wandering around the park. Whilst training for the London marathon this year I spent a lot of time running around Parks, particularly Richmond, which now has a special place in my heart (although there is a fine line between love & hate and during some of my longer runs a small amount of hate may have crept in!)
My favourite fact about a Royal Park is... that Hyde Park has a redirected River flowing beneath it! I also find the size of Richmond Park incredible – it covers 2,500 acres and all the other 7 Royal Parks can fit inside it.
If I were a creature in the Parks, I would be... a squirrel! As Team Squirrel captain this year I spend many of my days coming up with witty squirrel puns – think ‘conkering’ races and ‘crackin’ challenges – so I think I would fit right in! I also love running and so wouldn’t say no to spending my days scampering around the Royal Parks in the sun!
If I had a super-power, it would be… to be able to fly! I would love to spend my days just flying around with a birds eye view of the world. I am also pretty petrified of flying in planes and so would make going on holidays a more fun experience!