Homeless volunteers help create rooftop garden at Southbank Centre
09 May 2011
Volunteers from St Mungo's WoodWorks workshop and Putting Down Roots gardening programme have been helping create a new garden on the roof of London's Southbank Centre.
For the last eight weeks, two clients from the charity's wood working training programme have been building the garden's wooded walkway and raised beds. Five volunteers from Putting Down Roots helped with planting and landscaping.
The garden, situated on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, has been created as part of Southbank Centre's Festival of Britain anniversary celebrations, and will be open to the public until 4 September 2011.
St Mungo's volunteers were part of a team from various homelessness and other organisations helping create the garden led by a landscape architect and designers from the Eden Project.
James, a Putting Down Roots volunteer who worked on the garden said "This has been a really good experience. I've been a keen gardener for about five years and before I was homeless I worked for a landscape architect. It's good to be getting dug in again really. It's really good therapy - you can talk to the plants and they don't talk back! The best thing is seeing the positive public reaction. I'm going to be coming back to help tend the plants and veg over the summer."
As part of St Mungo's Skills and Employment services, WoodWorks and Putting Down Roots projects work hard to motivate volunteers to move onto further training and develop skills to equip them for employment.
WoodWorks volunteers learn the skills involved in producing a range of quality pine furniture and wooden items. Over 1,000 clients have used the service since it opened and around 15 people a year move into employment and further education.
PDR volunteers maintain and develop public and community gardens and hostel grounds across London and grow vegetables organically at an allotment.
ENDS
Notes
- For further information or images/interviews, please call Gemma Hollingshead on 020 8762 5570 or email gemma.hollingshead@mungos.org
- St Mungo's provides emergency help and runs over 100 projects that house homeless people and support their recovery, and prevent rough sleeping. Every year we help thousands of people to make permanent life changes. St Mungo's works with homeless men and women on housing, health and work opportunities.
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