Employee volunteers from Bridgepoint transformed a forgotten space at a local older people’s community garden into a new vegetable patch complete with its own accessible composting point on 31 July 2026.

The four volunteers carried out the gardening team challenge at Penfold Age Well Centre creating a flourishing space to grow potatoes, as well as rehome declining strawberry plants and install an accessible compost bin.

Volunteers helped plant seed potatoes.

On a hot and sunny morning, the volunteers began by clearing the area of vegetation and turning over the ground with spades to help loosen the tightly-packed earth.

The volunteers from Bridgepoint, which has recently launched The Bridgepoint Group Foundation, then added compost and fertiliser to turn the neglected area into a nutrient-rich growing environment. A selection of seed potatoes was planted, including Charlotte and Maris Piper varieties. The centre will reap the rewards come December when the potatoes will be harvested and made into hearty winter stews, with surplus supplies packaged up for older people to take home.

Nearby strawberry plants, which had been in decline, were lovingly replanted into a sunnier section of the garden.

Strawberry plants were given a new lease of life.

There was still time for the volunteers to help assemble a wooden compost bin in order to provide an accessible compost area on site. The existing compost bins are positioned on a slope which make it difficult for green-fingered older people with limited mobility to access. The volunteers then treated the new compost bin with wood stain to help protect it from the elements, and manoeuvred it to a level surface, allowing easier access.

Volunteers paint the compost bin.

The completed accessible compost bin.

Penfold Age Well Centre runs a weekly schedule of activities for older people, particularly those living in and near the Church Street ward. The centre runs a weekly gardening club for some of its members who enjoy and benefit from light gardening tasks, however, volunteer teams are vital in carrying out larger scale projects.

Many thanks to the wonderful volunteer team from Bridgepoint for purchasing the materials for this task and their hard work to transform the derelict space into a thriving fruit and vegetable patch complete with an accessible composting point.

The activity was arranged as part of our Community Programme which supports Marble Arch BID members to engage in the community. From environmental projects to skill-sharing to coffee mornings, there is something to suit every community engagement plan that creates memorable moments and sustainable impact.