This week BBMV and homelessness charity Providence Row unveiled their brand new rooftop garden in East London.
Since 2012 BBMV (the Balfour Beatty, Alpine BeMo Tunnelling, Morgan Sindall and Vinci Construction joint venture responsible for the delivery of Crossrail’s new Whitechapel and Liverpool Street Station tunnels) has worked closely with homelessness charity Providence Row to create two innovative new urban gardens in the heart of the city.
Over the last three years the project has transformed the charity’s previously unused courtyard and roof top area into flourishing urban gardens - growing vegetables and herbs for use by the charity’s catering trainees in the preparation of nutritious meals for 30-50 rough sleepers every day. These areas also provide therapeutic spaces, off the street, where rough sleepers can go to relax and engage with nature.
The new rooftop garden will be used as a functional learning and training site for the charity’s Learning Programme and accredited training schemes. It will be the site of a brand new Gardening Trainee Scheme which is due to be launched by the charity later in the Spring.
BBMV not only donated £30,000 seed funding for the project, but also provided on-going project management support and specialist volunteers and equipment to help complete the work.
Providence Row’s CEO Pam Orchard said: “Without the financial support, knowledge, skills, volunteer time and equipment donated by BBMV the transformation of our courtyard and rooftop simply wouldn’t have been possible. Both the ornamental courtyard garden and the rooftop garden have made a real and tangible difference to the charity and will benefit us and our clients long into the future.”
Nigel Russell, BBMV Executive Project Director, “The BBMV project team have thoroughly enjoyed working with Providence Row. These urban garden spaces will provide homeless people in East London with the opportunity to gain the skills and experience they need to improve their quality of life and get off the streets permanently.”
Image: BBMV and Providence Row staff at their rooftop garden launch party at Providence Row on May 13 2015.