Ambassador House Community Garden
The development of the Ambassador House forecourt has been a project close to the heart of the community for some time. Whilst the building itself is privately owned, for this final part of the regeneration programme, we worked with outdoor wear brand Timberland and NME Award-winning Croydon musician Loyle Carner to develop a new green space for the Thornton Heath community to enjoy for years to come.
Loyle Carner helped put the finishing touches to a transformed forecourt in a socially-distanced planting day. Local residents were invited to the new garden in the Ambassador House forecourt which was installed with the help of volunteers from the National Citizens Service, a youth offenders’ rehabilitation programme.
He said, “It’s great to be back home to help bring together our community in a way that benefits the people and the environment. I want to bring nature back to my local community and encourage others to support this movement. Open your eyes, pick up rubbish, do things for the people you care about, and they will do things for the people they care about and so on.”
The council joined forces with Timberland through the manufacturer’s Nature Needs Heroes campaign – run by its design consultants and social enterprise Urban Growth – and London National Park City.
Alongside the new garden, a storage shed for events and activities has been installed by Tomos Design, which incorporates a gallery of locally produced artwork, created as part of their community engagement last year. Local artists Vân Dang and Bareface have also brought their artistic skills to the forecourt delivering colourful artwork on the walls and steps.
Thornton Heath Gardening Club
Our community garden needs looking after! The council has appointed Urban Growth to deliver monthly gardening sessions for the community until September 2021. Join our monthly Saturday gardening club.
Get your hands dirty, learn about horticulture, and pick up tips on caring for plants all year round. All ages welcome. Register your interest here.
