The centre, which opened last year, is situated on an industrial estate and the service users wanted it to look more welcoming and less clinical and daunting.
After consultation with local businesses a project team volunteered to share in all the hard work. One service user, Louis, a qualified horticulturalist and experienced landscaper with experience in managing the project team for BBC Television’s ‘Charlie’s Garden Army’ makeover programme, was an obvious choice to lead the project.
The project was funded and coordinated by Safer South Gloucestershire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership in conjunction with the Drugs and Homeless Initiative (DHI), the main provider of drug and alcohol services in the area.
Louis designed the garden and looked at ways of saving money from the already-limited materials budget throughout the project. DHI arranged for service users from their Bath project and from other areas of South Gloucestershire to be transported to Yate to help out, and everyone put in considerable time and effort to turn the project around in three weeks.
The project benefited from the generosity of council staff, who donated pots and gardening tools. The Street Care department helped organise for compost to be delivered, which was supplied free of charge by a company commissioned by the council to provide shredding services.
Mandy Smalldridge, projects co-ordinator for Safer South Gloucestershire, said: “The garden has been transformed from a blank, bleak-looking outdoor space to an inviting and charming area of which we and the service users are very proud.
“The project gave those involved the chance to get to know each other, learn new skills and be recognised for their considerable existing knowledge base. For example, one of our service users is a skilled plumber and installed an outside tap for us. Another is experienced in skilled construction tools. It has been uplifting for the service users to be seen as valuable contributors to this project, rather than being defined by their drug and alcohol issues.”
As a result of the project one volunteer is applying to attend horticultural college and has taken on responsibility for maintaining the garden in the long term.
A barbecue is being held at the treatment centre on 17 October to thank all those involved in helping create such a fantastic outdoor space.
Please contact South Gloucestershire Drug and Alcohol Services on 0800 0733 011 (free from a landline or callbox) for help, support or further information.
ENDS