Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) is a horticulture,

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

and management of urban open space charity, based in Bankside, the southern bank by the River Thames,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

, England. BOST services clients in London and supports and inspires people of local communities and organisations, among others Tate Modern community garden, to improve, create and enjoy the

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

s, gardens, green spaces, and, passive and active

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

areas. The charity supports and services a broad and thriving network of parks, community managed green spaces and open spaces groups to carry out consultation, fundraise and oversee improvements. BOST has supported residents with choosing new play equipment,

bespoke The word ''bespoke'' () has evolved from a verb meaning 'to speak for something', to its contemporary usage as an adjective. Originally, the adjective ''bespoke'' described tailor-made suits and shoes. Later, it described anything commissioned t ...

garden design and developing new areas, making accessible improvements and re- landscaping. BOST helps to initiate and run community

clubs, award small grants for local horticulture projects and both organises and hires out parks and open spaces for celebratory public and private events. BOST has set up a community garden resource centre with a pond and encourages people to grow their own

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

- vegetables,

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s, fruit trees and bushes - through 'edible projects', utilising raised-bed gardening and planting. They also provide informal horticultural training, landscape maintenance, garden maintenance, grounds maintenance and gardening work experience in the local parks, gardens and open spaces.

History

Founded in 2000, the charitable work of BOST is based in Red Cross Garden, London's first pocket park and an 1887

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

creation of

Octavia Hill Octavia Hill (3 December 1838 – 13 August 1912) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born into a fa ...

, the English social reformer and Hill also championed providing green and open spaces to people, and helped to save London's Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill Fields from being built on as well as was one of the three founders of the National Trust. Two key early supporters of BOST (particularly in inspiring London-based companies to contribute to and support their local open spaces) were Vicky Lawrence, who was the first BOST Executive Director, having previously helped to set up the Community Chest Grant Scheme for local people in 199

and Norman Powell, a Co-Founder & Trustee of BOST. The former MP Simon Hughes who represented Bermondsey and Old Southwark for 32 years commented in his preface to the launch of BOST's June 2002 publication "In My Backyard - Growing a sense of place in Bankside" that 'Life is increasingly pressured and a rush. To enjoy the city in all its infinite variety means that our open spaces need as many of us as possible to look after and support them'. Located between Tower Bridge,

, and Waterloo, London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth, districts of

, England, these areas have few parks and open spaces and BOST works to enhance and make sure that they meet the needs of local communities.

Gardens & Open Spaces

Londoners, local workers and tourists use the parks and community gardens each day. BOST spaces are open and free to explore and widely used for everyone and by people and organisations hosting outdoor events such as, community projects, fetes, festivals, parties, film hire, photo shoots, sports activities and tournaments, and corporate events. Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) manages parks and gardens, conserving the spaces. BOST look after the following:

Red Cross Garden

Located just south from the famous

farmers market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

at Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest wholesale and retail food market in

, England. Red Cross Garden was laid out in 1887 and is a key element in what is considered to be one of Octavia Hill's finest environmental and social schemes. She wanted to create what she referred to as 'open air sitting rooms'. Three elements together improved the lives of those living in squalid, wretched Southwark at the time - The Garden, The Hall, The

Cottages A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

Waterloo Millennium Green

Across the road from The Old Vic theatre or a 1-minute walk from Waterloo station in London situated on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. There are wildflowers, dragonflies hovering over the pond with seating and a separate cascading rock water feature. Waterloo Millennium Green

The Marlborough Sports Gardens

The Marlborough Sports Garden is located in Union Street off of Borough High Street in the London Borough of Southwark where also in the vicinity literary greats such as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens gained inspiration for their works. Historically the Duchess of Marlborough in 1919 decreed that 'Surplus land from an insanitary area between Borough High Street and Redcross Street should be used as a recreation ground'.

Diversity Garden

Tate Modern community garden

Partners & Funders

The organisation is supported by a number of local and national

charitable foundation A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...

s serving the region, and several of the major London Livery Companies. It has projects in cooperation with the Tate Modern and other London organisations. *Bankside Urban Forest * BTCV * City Bridge Trust * EDF Energy *Friends of Hatfield Green * Heritage Lottery Fund *UK Home Office *Living Spaces * London Borough of Southwark * Metropolitan Public Gardens Association *Nationwide Foundation * Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature *Southwark's Biodiversity Action Partnership * Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths Charities * Worshipful Company of Mercers *Waterloo Community Development Group *Waterloo Quarter Business Alliance *and others in Waterloo Open Spaces Partnership

Publications

Volunteering

References

BBC changing places

External links

organisation home pageRed Cross Garden, History and Present
at The

London Parks & Gardens Trust The London Gardens Trust (formally, London Historic Parks & Gardens Trust) is a charity based in London, England. It is an independent charity and one of the county garden trusts operating under the Gardens Trust. The Trust aims to increase kno ...

*
publication list
{dead link, date=October 2016 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Southwark Charities based in London