Outdoor Space at Flora Lodge Transformed with B&Q Funding

As part of B&Q’s annual Community Days drive Action Homeless were recently successful in securing funding and materials to transform the outdoor space at Flora, our High Support hostel. We welcomed a team of B&Q volunteers for the day, and they used their practical skills to bring our vision to life, creating a space that is psychologically informed and can be harnessed as a tool in people’s journey towards independence.

Walls were painted, weeding and planting was carried out and outdoor furniture was stained. In the newly refurbished space there is now the opportunity for clients to enjoy the outdoors, either on their own or with peers. The funding and materials also included vegetable seeds and other plants in the outdoor space, allowing clients to get involved with gardening if they would like to, and provide opportunities to take ownership of the space and develop it in a client led way over time.

Applying through the Neighbourly platform, we were fortunate to be one of 300 charities from across the country to receive help from B&Q in the form of £1,000 worth of materials and the hard work of a team of store volunteers. Liaising with a local B&Q store representative, we were able to bring our vision and plans for the outdoor space to life. Collaboration with a local store was invaluable to us a charity looking to maximise the impact of funding, but also to B&Q themselves. According to Paul Crips, Retail and Property Director at B&Q:

“When I visit our stores around the country there’s always a great buzz about the volunteering projects. As the biggest home improvement retailer in the UK it’s important to me personally that we use our size and scale to give back.”