WORK EXPERIENCE: Our reporter goes out with the Newport City Council gardens team

HAZY morning sunshine beamed down on Newport as I joined the City Council gardens team at the war memorial, decked out in hi-vis jackets.

Charge-hand gardener Andrew Perkins, and another gardener were already hard at work when I arrived at 8.30am, weeding the flower beds they created from scratch last year and mowing the grass.

Senior gardener Bill Gronow, who has worked for Newport City Council for more than 20 years, gave me an overview of this year's colour scheme, red, white and blue in honour of the Olympics.

"It's a busy year," said Bill, 51, who took horticulture at school before starting his first job with Torfaen Council 's parks department.

"We've had the Jubilee and the Olympics, and on August 19 we'll have the war memorial rededication at Mariner's Green, so we've got to go there and do a big tidy-up. We've also spent a lot of time at the Sports Village recently, around the Velodrome."

Bill's six-man crew works around the east side of Newport from 7am to 4pm in the summer season, which for them lasts eight months.

The war memorial job takes between 45 minutes and an hour, something they try to do every Friday.

"We try and keep all approach roads looking spot on," said Bill, who hails from Cwmbran. "It's a difficult one because we try to keep everyone happy. The public are the main ones, they see these sites every day of the week."

The garden staff take a strict attitude to safety - as well as a hi-vis jacket, I'm given goggles, gloves and ear protectors - and each job has its own risk assessment.

"Health and safety is a big thing," explained Bill. "We see broken glass, and syringes - there are lot of problems with that these days. Some parts of Newport are just no-go areas."

Within minutes of my arrival Bill warned me that jobs often land in their laps at short notice - and he wasn't wrong.

Just a few hours before Ringland Sports Day is due to start, the crew are dispatched to the sports field to set out six 50-metre lanes, creating a junior running track.

"We've just got to figure out where to put it!" laughed Andrew.

Swinging by the council depot to collect paint and machinery, I notice dozens of trucks, lorries and farm equipment lined up, as well as timber, slates, pipes, concrete, sawdust and an enormous stockpile of salt.

Although the large depot seems quiet, there is plenty of activity, and I can hear the humming and whirring of machinery nearby. In one of the sheds, Andrew and seasonal gardener James Nelson pump paint from large tanks into smaller tubs, and these are loaded onto the back of their truck before being tied down.

Despite their serious take on health and safety, I see a smile has been added to a health and safety sign advising workers to use ear protection at all times, proving that it's still possible to have fun in such a safety-conscious environment.

Over at the field near Milton Junior School, Andrew paces out the length and width of the running track using a trundle wheel, while his colleague fills up the paint machine.

The crew use a type of white water to lay down the lines, something they have to do every week at 40 football pitches on Newport's east side.

A small army of versatile 'Street Scene' staff cover the whole of Newport, but recruiting youngsters is proving to be something of a challenge.

"Young people don't seem to be interested at all for some reason," said Bill. "We just think, 'who will replace us?' We'd love to see more youngsters coming in."

Seasonal gardener James, 22, of Maesglas, joined the gardens department through a long-term unemployment scheme. On the morning I spent with the gardeners, James' day began at 6am watering hanging baskets.

"I finish next month," said James, who has a six-month contract. "I've enjoyed it and think it's a good job for young people, but with it only being a temporary contract people don't want that. If it was permanent, loads of people would want it."

Government cutbacks and low staff levels keep all the workers busy, explained Bill, and the gardeners could be trained to fill potholes or tarmac a road.

"When I first started I was based at Belle Vue Park and there were 12 gardeners to do a small central area," said Bill. "Now we have a team of six to do the complete east side of Newport.

Everyone needs to be able to do everyone else's job."

The job is incredibly varied, from hedge-cutting, 'nuisance'

pruning, working on fine turf such as golf courses to using a high-reach cherry picker, and is occupied predominantly by men due its physically demanding nature.

"Most people don't realise how tough it is," said Andrew, who has been doing the job full time for seven years. "We've got such a big area to cover, it's non-stop all day."

The weather is often against them, as well as vandalism, but letters from the public keep spirits up.

Bill said: "We often get letters saying 'this looks great', or 'Newport is a place to be proud of', which does boost up morale a lot, we like to see the letters and hear from the public.

"It means it's not just negative comments, which do come, when there are ten men working on a site and the public spot one person having a cup of tea."

The crew take great pride in their work, which is evident from the new wildflower meadows they have created across the city.

"The wildflower areas have been really successful," said Bill.

"We've had a lot of comments from the public, people asking what varieties we've used, and I think it's something that's going to continue."

We drove past several 'meadows' the crew have created on Chepstow Road, often near billboards or roadside verges, bursting with red poppies and smaller pink, blue and purple flowers which are finally benefiting from some sunshine.

Charge-hand gardener Andrew, 46, from Liswerry, told me: "On a day like this you can stand back and say 'that looks marvellous'.

"When I first started my area manager said to me, 'treat it as your own garden,' and that really stuck."

The crew have just won a major contract at Llanwern High School to do all grounds work there from start to finish, including planting 380 trees. Phase one started last year and phase two begins in October.

While the summer lasts, keep an eye out for the attractive wildflower beds popping up around Newport, courtesy of the City Council's gardeners.