PARKS used to be forbidding places, surrounded by high railings and, as often or not, patrolled by a huge and officious keeper, not averse to walloping the odd, errant child.

IIf the railings weren't taken up for the war effort, they were often removed in the 1960s as moves were put in force for parks to be made available for the people.

As for the old uniformed parkie, he was not deemed to be friendly enough and so he went too.

The result, all too often, was that parks became scruffy, unattractive patches of grass with wrecked play equipment and dog mess everywhere. Some of them were also no go areas apart from for drug takers hiding in the bushes and youths daubing graffiti on what remained of the swings.

There's been a big improvement over the last ten years as people have belatedly realised what a fine asset parks are. In some cases, groups of friends have been formed to look after them and provide the care they deserve.

At Preston Park in Brighton, several hundred thousand pounds is being spent on a programme restoring it to its original splendour and other historic parks, such as St Ann's Well Gardens in Hove, could do with the same treatment.

Some of them have had the railings replaced and a good job too. They deter the vandals and keep out dog owners at a time when, even if they wanted to clear up after their pets, it's too dark to do so. There's a few modern-day park keepers too, although these days they are more likely to be called countryside rangers.

Alot more interest is being taken in the wildlife charm of parks and, while many of the formal gardens have gone, more natural areas have taken their place. This is particularly evident in Hove Park where the landscape was softened after the great storm of 1987.

But much more needs to be done before we can again be proud of our parks. I am constantly surprised at how unprotected from the elements some of them are, especially those facing the prevailing wind, such as Knoll Recreation Ground in Hove.

Parks such as Brooklands, in Worthing, appear forbiddingly bleak, even though they have great natural advantages, such as a lake.

Alexandra Park, in Hastings, should be a hidden delight but instead has a pervading air of gloom.

While Buckingham Park, in Shoreham, is majestic, there are other recs in the Adur District which look remarkably uninviting and if I were standing for election there in May, I should make improving parks the main plank in my platform.

Great strides have been made in improving playgrounds for children from toddlers to about 12 but there is a gap after that. Adventure playgrounds are expensive and need staff to run them but there ought to be at least one in every large town. They would be a huge attraction and would reduce vandalism at a stroke.

You can often judge a town by the quality of its open spaces. Those with pride in their parks, say it with flowers. They are full of well maintained sports pitches, popular playgrounds and beautiful quiet places for sitting or strolling. And if there's a parkie keeping an eye on things, so much the better.

Years ago, some bright birds managed to do creditable imitations of Trimphones. Now things have moved on. The other day in Preston Road, Brighton, I heard the sound of a mobile phone and realised that it had come from a nearby blackbird.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.