A Staffordshire-based children’s charity has teamed up with a DIY giant to create an accessible and inclusive allotment at their Keele headquarters.
Volunteers from B&Q’s head office and stores around the country transformed the space at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre using materials donated and delivered by the home improvement retailer’s local stores.
Five teams – a total of 17 B&Q staff – volunteered the equivalent of 52 days.
The plot – which has been named The Nature Patch – is designed to promote wellbeing, independence and outdoor learning and offers a safe environment where disabled and neurodivergent children and young people can engage with nature.
The space includes accessible paving, raised planters suitable for wheelchair users and sensory-friendly play areas. Children and young people will be able to learn about planting vegetables and flowers as well as general gardening and maintenance.
Tom Sherratt, corporate partnerships manager at Caudwell Children said: “We’re thrilled to open The Nature Patch. The allotment is a project we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. It’s an accessible space that all of our families and beneficiaries can access and explore, helping with their wellbeing and learning.”
The allotment will also be integrated with the charity’s Shaping Futures programme, offering young people hands-on experience that promotes practical skills, confidence and pathways to future employment.
Simon Cowey, acting director of retail operations at B&Q, added: “It was great to be able to support Caudwell Children’s Charity in transforming its outdoor spaces into two new allotment areas and a sensory play space which have been designed to be a vital area for the young people that use them.
“The team from our head office were really proud to offer their time, skills, B&Q products and service partners to support the charity to make the space accessible, vibrant and useful, which will make a positive difference.”
Now officially open, The Nature Patch is available to all children and families accessing services at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre.
