Our Community
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What it is
The Fulwell Ward Initiative is a three year partnership between North East Sport and Friends of Fulwell. At the centre of it is the Fulwell Ranger, a paid role that looks after the ward’s streets and green spaces properly, rather than waiting for problems to pile up. Litter picks, yes, but also clearing paths, removing graffiti and planting through the seasons.
Young people first
North East Sport has been here for Sunderland’s young people since 2008, and the Ranger programme is the same idea taken outdoors. We’re not just cleaning streets. We’re giving young people a job to do in their own community.
- Skills: working with local schools, including Monkwearmouth Academy, young people get hands on with looking after their own patch and learn what hard work and ownership feel like.
- A role model: the Ranger is a visible, familiar adult who shows young residents they can shape the place they live.
- Young people leading: when you’ve helped clean a park you stop treating it as somewhere to trash. Pride goes up and antisocial behaviour goes down.
What we do on the ground
We focus on the hotspots residents tell us about, and we keep a record of what’s been done.
- Litter: regular hotspot picks and big community clean ups so fields and parks stay usable.
- Green spaces: clearing overgrown paths and repairing benches and street furniture, with a focus on Cut Throat Dene and Seaburn Recreation Park.
- Volunteers: we bring together local volunteers and corporate teams from employers like Barclays, Siemens and Nissan for the bigger jobs.
“The Ranger provides a single, reliable point of contact. Residents see swift, tangible action, and it makes us all proud of our local community.”
Why it matters now
Our public spaces are where people go to feel better, and they need looking after. The Fulwell Ranger programme keeps them maintained and gives residents and young people the lead in doing it. That’s how you get a Fulwell that looks after itself.
