Our History

Groundwork's origins can be traced back to the late 1970s. The Countryside Commission was looking at ways to improve the physical environment of the urban fringe - that 'no man's land' on the edge of towns and cities which tended to be overlooked and often became run-down and derelict.

In 1978 the Commission put forward proposals to the Government for a major experiment to look at new ways of improving and managing these 'in between' areas under the banner UFEX80. Following the 1979 general election UFEX80 was renamed 'Operation Groundwork' and the incoming environment minister, Michael Heseltine, presided over the launch of the first Groundwork Trust in St Helens and Knowsley in December 1981.

The Trust's role was to bring together a partnership of public, private and voluntary sector interests in a co-ordinated effort to upgrade the environment, to realise the full potential of under-used land, to convert waste ground to productive use and to improve access to the countryside. The Hertfordshire Groundwork Trust was incorporated in September 1985.

The focus for this new Trust was quite different to those of other Trusts. The Hertfordshire Groundwork Trust was formed to specifically focus on the regeneration of land that had been used to extract minerals and to work in urban areas as, due to the presence of the Countryside Management Service in the County, it was felt that the rural regeneration of Hertfordshire was already covered.

In mid-1985 the Planning Committee of Hertfordshire County Council was considering ways to achieve environmental improvements to a variety of wasted or damaged sites around the county. It was known that Groundwork Trusts were operating elsewhere, mainly in the north of England. Further investigation by the then County Planning Officer, Geoffrey Steeley, concluded that there were many opportunities for attracting financial support from the private sector and from grants and donations. This was the kernel of today's very active organisation.

Hertfordshire Groundwork Trust was established as a company limited by guarantee on 3 September 1985 and registered as a charity on 2 December. The Countryside Commission and the Groundwork Foundation provided a five-year commitment of financial support; in addition, the County Council supported the Trust with two full-time members of staff for five years. The inaugural meeting of the Board of Management, chaired by Mr Tim Gilligan and consisting of members drawn from the business community and voluntary sector, was held on 7 January 1986. The appointment of Lt. Col. Dennis Ford as Executive Director followed in May that year.

Groundwork will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2010!  For more information about events and articles celebrating this occasion, please click here.