Amberol is proud to have donated a parklet from our Planter Enhancement Range to the Booth Centre in Manchester, a community hub for people affected by homelessness.
The donation took place in April 2024, shortly after the RHS Urban Show in Manchester. Instead of reclaiming the dismantled planters, Amberol and several other exhibitors chose to give away their gardening products to local community groups.
The Booth Centre’s community garden sits in an entirely paved outdoor space within the hub and is maintained by volunteers and members of their gardening group, which began in 2016. It is a thriving example of the kind of ecosystems that can flourish even in the midst of a dense city.
The Centre works in partnership with those it serves, using their skills and experiences to shape positive change within the community. They have since used the parklet to provide additional seating and planters for their wellbeing garden - a sanctuary in the city centre for those they support.
Amberol recently caught up with Thom Jackson, Activities Coordinator of the Booth Centre, about the volunteer group’s gardening journey and their experience of Amberol’s parklet a few months down the line.
Thom says:
Our Amberol planters have provided a beautiful and tranquil place for people to relax in the Booth Centre’s wellbeing garden.
Community gardening is an opportunity to learn and connect with others, and it is a core activity for those supported by the Booth Centre. Since Amberol’s donation of the parklet, the gardening group have planted a range of summer bedding plants, soon to be winter bedding plants. Find out how Amberol’s products support community gardening groups.
Thom explains how gardening brings the community of volunteers together:
On an average gardening session, we have 5-10 attendees, always different people, consisting of volunteers and centre visitors.
When asked about the quality of Amberol’s planters, Thom said:
This is the first year we have had one of your planters. The self-watering feature has saved us time and water. We will be using the planters for a fair few years yet!
Amberol’s unique Aquafeed™ self-watering system contains a series of capillary action wicks that ‘suck’ water up from a reservoir onto a dispersal mat, which then distributes the water evenly across the compost, keeping it moist at all times.
Self-watering planters are a real asset to community gardening groups as they only need to be watered once or twice a week - saving time, water, and money.
Amberol’s Planter Enhancement Range includes parklets that have been designed to create dedicated wellbeing and respite areas in public spaces and planter surrounds to improve aesthetics. They can also be used as part of traffic management schemes.
Amberol is honoured to have played a part in the growth of the Booth Centre’s wellbeing garden and is excited to see the lasting impact the parklet will have on its community.
Entering is very easy; just submit your photos of Amberol’s self-watering planters with your wonderful displays via the online form on the Amberol website. Your photos will then be entered into the public vote.
If you would like to create amazing floral displays like the ones in our customer galleries, do contact us here at Amberol, we are always happy to help.
You could even arrange a personalised no-obligation virtual demo to see our products up close and personal. Call 01773 830 930 or email sales@amberol.co.uk for more information.