Chapter 1 Gets Stuck in For Places of Change

Chapter 1 Gets Stuck in For Places of Change

Four Chapter 1 projects were involved in the creation of the biggest ever show garden, Places of Change, at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. Service users from Calverley Hill in Tunbridge Wells, FreshStart; St Austell and The Limes; Manchester, were amongst 500 homeless volunteers who contributed to the silver award winning garden by getting involved in tasks such as gardening, planting, assisting with site development, design and much more. Both staff and services users from these projects then had the privilege of attending the event itself to see the impressive garden on display.

The garden was an ambitious collaboration between national housing and regeneration delivery agency, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the Eden Project, national membership charity for frontline homelessness agencies Homeless Link, and Communities and Local Government (CLG).

As the biggest ever Show Garden at Chelsea, with £80M capital funding, the Places of Change garden offered opportunities to around 500 of society's most disadvantaged people from more than 30 different organisations, including Chapter 1, helping individuals to build a number of new skills.

The overall theme of the garden was craft and enterprise, and the importance of teamwork, which was reflected in the 5 different zones; Food, Senses, Health, Industry and Environment, all of which act as a metaphor for new skills and the journey embarked on by the individual to get there. It received significant media coverage as well as worthy praise from elite members of the local community and beyond, including Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

To further complement Chapter 1's involvement in the show, Mildmay House in Liverpool were selected to contribute to a trade stand at the renowned event; a perfect opportunity for their successful social enterprise project, Bloomin Baskets to be viewed by many.

The show has been such a positive experience for all involved from Chapter 1 and praise and recognition goes to all who helped make it happen.

A virtual version of the garden has been created by Homeless Link in Second Life, providing visitors with an insight into the ideas that shaped the garden itself.