Bankside Open Spaces Trust is an environmental and volunteering charity based in London SE1, working with people to design, develop, maintain and protect public parks, gardens and open spaces in the area.
Since 2000 the charity has helped to create and look after over 45 parks and gardens in just 1 square km of built-up, central London, including; Red Cross Garden, Waterloo Green, Diversity Garden, The Marlborough, Tate Community Garden, Crossbones and Mint Street. It does this by facilitating volunteer gardening opportunities and community green champions, supporting parks steering groups, setting up food growing areas in housing estates, running educational projects, outdoor activities and public events.
The group has received numerous awards including London in Bloom Champion of Champions Its your Neighbourhood for two years running, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere award and MPGA London Spade 2015 for their community gardening partnerships.
The team works closely with local people to ensure that open spaces are created and managed with the involvement of residents, community groups and businesses alike. This happens by running a programme of regular volunteering activity, supporting steering groups, public events and educational projects, ensuring that improvements are meaningful and meet local needs. The charity is run with the help of local people and Southwark Council is a major partner in many of the sites they manage.
