Neighbourhood wardens need to be clear about their ‘brand’ to convince funders and the public of their value, one of Channel 4’s ‘secret millionaires’ warned this week. Speaking at New Start’s Connecting Communities conference, marketing millionaire Carl Hopkins said wardens were unsung heroes – but needed to be clearer about their role.Wardens provide a visible presence to reassure communities that did not exist in the 1980s, Mr Hopkins told New Start. He spent ten days patrolling the streets of Easington, Durham, with the town’s neighbourhood wardens for the Channel 4 programme. ‘We all know the police are there to enforce the law,’ he said. ‘They’re not warm and cuddly, let’s be honest. They could be seen as threatening. ‘A lot of people on the estates where I grew up have something to hide, so the last people they’re going to talk to are the cops. The wardens, if they’re the ears, the eyes, the friends of the community, then with regular and frequent appearances on the streets they should become trusted.’

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29 October 2008
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