The park keeper of Simmons Park has voiced support for a voluntary group to help staff with the upkeep of the park.

Councillors have debated the possibility of establishing the group to help park staff with tasks such as weeding and litter-picking which would allow the park keeper to concentrate on more skilled jobs.

Park keeper James McGahey, said: ‘I have seen National Trust properties advertising for volunteers to help and for the size of the area we cover which has been getting bigger in recent times and the team I have got which is mostly part-time, it’ll really help.

‘All the weeding doesn’t get done. It’s a never-ending battle so we were looking at getting a group of willing volunteers to help us and free us up.

‘It could let people find out about what’s going on in the park and bring the community together.’

Cllr Debra Travers has echoed Mr McGahey’s hopes and suggested the the introduction of such a group may reduce vandalism incidents and encourage people to work together.

At the latest parks committee meeting held last Monday (June 20), she said: ‘I think it would be a really good idea, not just because it would get jobs done but if these people were wearing high-vis vests it could deter anti-social behaviour and act as a deterrent.’

However, some have raised concerns that this may increase the park keeper’s workload as he would be required to supervise the volunteers’ work, though Mr McGahey has not voiced any worries.

He said: ‘I can organise the work so that they are working wherever I am. We would just have them doing things like weeding, nothing involving machinery.’

As yet, the council has made no firm decision on whether to organise such a group.

At the moment, park staff are not receiving any community help though the Okement Rivers Improvement Group (ORIG) is a voluntary group which looks after the Okement River, part of which runs through the park.

Mr McGahey added: ‘We are not getting any assistance and a voluntary group would just help.’

Okehampton Town Council has agreed to look into the possibility and extend the offer of voluntary work in the park to ORIG.

ORIG’s work includes river bank clearing, coppicing, removing organic debris and litter, weir and river bed restoration and pollution monitoring.

ORIG has also worked with community group Plastic Free Okehampton which aims to raise awareness of the problems associated with single-use plastic and encourage Okehampton residents to become more environmentally-friendly.