Sunderland has its first Street Ranger - and here is what they do

There's a new face on patrol in Sunderland as the city centre gets its very first Street Ranger.
James Denny is Sunderland city centre's first Street RangerJames Denny is Sunderland city centre's first Street Ranger
James Denny is Sunderland city centre's first Street Ranger

James Denny has taken on the wide-ranging role as being the eyes and ears on the street and being the go-to person for businesses needing urgent action.

Already James - who is more widely known as Denny - has been making his mark in the new job, with his activities including:

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* Getting kegs dumped behind a premises in Park Lane removed by Kegwatch, an organisation which helps the brewing industry by reducing wastage and theft of kegs, casks and gas cylinders.

* Working with the organisers of the Red Sky Ball to find suitable locations across the city centre to install defibrillators bought by the fund-raising event.

Denny, who is based in the city centre and works Monday to Friday, said: "I’m basically the person on the ground, so if anyone has an issue which needs dealing with, I can get out to them quickly.

"A lot of what I do is general work like removing graffiti or picking up litter from private land and I’ve been meeting local businesses as part of getting to know the city and I’ve been getting a very positive response.”

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Sharon Appleby, Head of Business operations at Sunderland BID, added: "As soon as Denny started in his role, businesses began getting in touch. We are operating a reported and sorted approach so we can ensure what the businesses are asking for is being delivered.

"There has been a really positive response to him which is fantastic, as the SR1 Street Rangers scheme is something we have been keen to get up and running for a long time and it’s a project we want to expand moving forward.

"Our plan, should we be re-elected, is to appoint more rangers who can help work with our businesses to make Sunderland a nicer place to live and work."