Rowland Byass – Landscape Architect

Project: Mariner Road Day Centre

Completion Date: June 2006

Location:Ilford, Essex

Mariner Road Day Centre provides meals, company and a social venue for local pensioners, many of whom need some help to continue living independently in their homes.

With residents, I drew up a wish list for the Centre’s garden, incorporating tasks that they could accomplish easily. Working over weekly afternoon sessions over a two month period, I worked with the residents and an artist to replant the garden with flowers and vegetables, create mosaic stepping stones and memorial plaques marking trees and shrubs planted in memory of former residents.

Although the project was limited in scope and budget, this limited scale enabled successful working relationships with participants. The project enabled them to be active in shaping their surroundings, rather than passive recipients of help.