18th May 2010
Four hundred homeless people, together with 100 prisoners from eight jails, working together with the Eden Project, are the inspired crew behind one of the most ambitious gardens at this year's Chelsea Flower Show.
Place of Change, devised by the Eden Project, and carefully cultivated by the 500 volunteers, will be almost 600 square metres in size, and will feature over 10,000 plants, making it the largest garden at the world-renowned horticulture show.
The garden will demonstrate how plants play a pivotal role in our lives, from the food processing industry and medicinal sphere, to the more holistic aspects of teamwork that gardening engenders.
The act of nurturing fragile life, and of creating a vibrant place of beauty, are cited as some of the greatest rewards to be gleaned from the project, as well as the tangible benefits of the various qualifications to be earned through such work.
Read Ian Tucker's article in the Guardian here.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.