VOLUNTEERS from Barratt Developments Scotland have created a serenity garden at St Andrew’s Hospice in Airdrie.
The housebuilder has supported the hospice with community-funded donations for two years now, as well as working with it to identify what was required to bring the garden to life before securing materials and volunteering staff to carry out the work.
Barratt Developments’ employees are given two days paid leave each year to volunteer with a local charity of their choice. The commercial team painted fences and carried out gardening work at the Hospice last year and got back in touch recently to offer volunteers from all departments for upcoming projects.
A serenity garden has been a long-term vision for the hospice. However, securing funding for materials, combined with the manual labour involved, was a challenge. After securing a list of materials to complete the space, the firm enlisted the help of construction director, Craig McFarlane, and construction manager, Tom Hill, to survey the area.
Craighead Supply, Cartmore Building Supplies, Laird Bros, Advance Construction, A&B Reid Fencing and Landscape Design made both cash and material donations and completed the labour over several weeks. DMI provided the CCTV for the garden and Edmiston Brown provided the lighting.
David Scott, MD of Barratt and David Wilson Homes West Scotland, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be part of this project as giving back to local communities is a priority for the Barratt team. Seeing the garden come to life over the past few months has been fantastic and I’d like to personally thank the companies who donated materials, as well as their time, to make this happen. Having access to tranquil, outdoor space is so important and we hope patients and families enjoy the new garden.”
Lorna McCafferty, trusts, legacy, and individual Giving Manager at St Andrew’s Hospice, said, “Creating a serenity garden has been a dream of the team here at the hospice. Having a space that our patients and their families can visit and relax in, whilst enjoying the outdoors, is absolutely vital and we can’t thank Barratt Developments Scotland enough for their hard work and effort – it wouldn’t have been possible without them.”
