One Man's Mission to Help Nature
- 25th Jun 2025
- Author: Elliott Langley - Marketing Administrator
When people turn up at the National Space Centre, they tend to look up at the unique and iconic building and get a faint glimpse of the two huge rockets contained inside. But first impressions start long before you arrive at the Ticketing desk! From immaculately-trimmed hedges, colourful wildflowers, trees gently rustling in the wind, and even a bee or two buzzing away, there’s a feeling of care in the car park and grounds surrounding our Centre.
For this Our Space, I want to spend some time with our Groundskeeper, Kev, who has spent over a decade on a mission to create and maintain an inviting, vibrant outdoor space for everyone to enjoy... including the local wildlife!
Thanks for chatting with me Kev. How long have you been looking after our grounds?
I’ve been here for 11 years now. My son Ollie had been working on the Technical team for a while and he mentioned that the person looking after the grounds was leaving. So I came in for a look around the Centre and met some of the team, and then applied for the job and had an interview. I’ve been here ever since.
What had you been doing previously?
I actually had a family-run landscaping business. It dated back to the 60’s and kept going all the way up to around 2008. Unfortunately, the recession at that time affected the trade, so we decided to sell the business. I did some garden maintenance work privately for a while, and then came here.
What is a normal day in the life like?
I usually start the day off by doing some litter-picking and having a general tidy-up. In grass-cutting season, that takes priority. Then there’s weed control, trimming hedges, cutting back trees or overhanging branches. Generally making sure that everything is safe for the public, both visitors and people walking though the site. And of course making sure everything looks neat and presentable.
When people arrive, they don’t want to see everything overgrown and uncared for. If it looks tidy and looked after, then that contributes towards people’s overall experience and hopefully will make them feel welcome. People come here to be inspired, and if the outside looks uncared for, well it affects that experience.
What are the challenges of your job?
Well, everything tends to happen at once when the growing season starts. The grass starts growing, the hedges need trimming, and so it’s quite full on! You have to stay on top of everything. And then of course there’s the weather, which sadly I have no control over! If it’s raining then I’ll have to change my plans and work on the hedges instead of cutting the grass. I’ve got waterproof equipment and clothing, so I tend to power through when it’s a drizzle. But if it’s a huge thunderstorm or torrential rain, I’ll go inside and do some machine maintenance. Things like making sure the equipment is all up to speed and functioning properly.
Is it nice being able to work outside?
Very much so! When it’s warm and mild like today, it’s perfect. It starts to get tough when it’s blistering sunshine; that can actually be tougher than when it’s freezing cold. With the cold, you can at least stay active and generate a bit of heat. It’s more difficult to cool down. Obviously you have to take good care of yourself and take in lots of fluids, wear sunglasses, and so forth. Thankfully, with it being the UK, the heatwaves only tend to last a few days!
Do you ever come across any wildlife during your work?
Oh yes, it’s part of the job! I see birds and squirrels all the time. Although there was one time where I was trimming a hedge and a couple of muntjacs (small deer) shot out and scared the life out of me. This only happened once though; it was during the Covid-19 lockdown, when it was very quiet in the city and the deer were less likely to be scared off. I still came in to work during that time, as the grounds needed looking after.
And what about creepy crawlies…
[Laughs] All the time. The pump house is always full of spiders. Big ones too. They like it because it’s warm and dark. But I don’t mind them, and they leave me alone.
Yikes. And do you do anything to look after the wildlife?
Yes, a lot of work goes into it. We actually just did No Mow May, which is a scheme to let flowers and plantlife grow for a month. Anyone can do it, you just don’t mow for a month! It helps with pollution, and the animals love it. There are areas where we don’t mow at all, other than a quick strim once a year. The bank on the other side of the tank wall is left all year and it has wild seeds, which over the years they will get thicker and thicker.
And how about the lovely flowers that I see on my walk into work.
I look after those too. We’ve got a lovely little patch of wild flower seeds underneath the main entrance sign. This year has been a bit dry for them, but they’ll regenerate next year. People may not realise it, but we’re actually a very bee-friendly and butterfly-friendly location. All the hedges in the car park are covered in aphids that produce honeydew, which is a sticky residue that the bees absolutely love. There are certain times that the hedges are full of honey bees, where you can literally hear them humming. We have some buddleias in the car park that the butterflies are fond of as well. And of course, there’s the lavender out the front of the building, which attracts bees as well. And a fair amount of people too, I often see passersby stop to smell them.
Do the birds have any favourite spots?
We’ve got Swift boxes installed, although they tend to get more use from pigeons! The plan was to encourage Swifts to use them, but we learned quite quickly that they weren’t in quite the right position. But it’s great that they’ve found a use by other birds. It’s one of those things where we tried something and gained knowledge from it, so it was worthwhile.
Are there any fun stories from your role, apart from being chased by deer?
Well it usually involves the school children arriving on their days out. They’re always excited and full of energy as they arrive, and they’ll speak to me and say hello as they walk down. You get some right characters and they make me laugh. It’s nice, because sometimes I’m the first person they’ll see from the Centre, so I get to experience that look of wonder when they see the building and the rockets for the first time. It never gets old.
Have you got any gardening tips?
Well I always say that I’m not really a gardener. I see a gardener as someone who goes to a stately home and looks after flowerbeds, grows vegetables and runs a greenhouse. My work is more about maintaining and looking after the grounds. But what I would say is, your garden can be a reflection of whoever you are. If you like big colours, then have loads of flowers. If you’re not into gardening, then just have a bit of grass. Tailor it to who you are.
So what’s your garden like?
It’s a cottage garden, as I live in an old house. I don’t actually have a back garden, as I live back-to-back with another house. It goes along the front and down the side. Loads of shrubs, a bit of a patio, no lawn but a bit of a grass strip, which only take a few minutes to take care of. Very low maintenance. But I do have a topiary elephant! It was there when I moved in, and the previous owner asked me to look after the elephant when he moved out. So it’s not going anywhere!
Amazing! I often see you in the morning with your headphones in. What do you listen to while you work?
I’ve got a friend who presents on BBC Radio Leicester, so I like to listen to his show. I’ll send him in messages sometimes which he reads out. Then it’ll be the greatest hits, or the news sometimes.
Are you interest in space?
I’m actually really interested in the Moon! I have my own telescope and I do like to look at it when it’s full, or low in the sky and looks massive. I can get my head around that! When it comes to things like Black Holes, I start to get a headache. But working here as definitely helped me to understand space better.
What does Space For Everyone mean to you?
I see that phrase every day on the main entrance sign! I think it means that whether you are a space geek or only mildly interested in space, it’s still an amazing place to come to. Whatever your level, there’s a place here for everyone. You might come here without knowing that space is something you might be interested in and come out with a new hobby!
Thank you so much to Kev for all the hard work to keep our grounds pristine. If you see him in the carpark when you arrive, then be sure to give him a wave!
