First Splash of Colour from Argent’s Volunteer Project

The phrase “it’s all in the planning” was never more apt than when the culmination of months of development and an entire week of on-site preparation resulted in Argent’s Volunteer Day on Friday 5th September 2014.

Now six months on, their charitable labours are blooming – quite literally!

The need

The project came about when, rather than having a conventional celebration to mark the end of a construction phase at Kings Cross, Phil Sullivan (Senior Projects Director at Argent) and Mick Kelly (Projects Director at BAM) decided they wanted to incorporate something with a little more longevity than a pint or two into the proceedings.

The solution

They called upon industry charity CRASH, of which Argent is a Patron company and Director Tony Giddings a Trustee, to source an appropriate volunteering project for 70 people. The remit was to find something that would make the most of the professional skills of the Kings Cross contractors, sub-contractors and supply chain.

How patrons helped

The beneficiary of these skills was Emmaus Brighton & Hove, a homelessness Community which CRASH has been working with for a number of years. One of the volunteers’ projects was to prepare the groundwork and then seed what would eventually become a wild flower garden and meadow for visitors to enjoy.

The social impact

Six months later, Spring has now truly sprung at Emmaus with the meadow already looking luscious with a scattering of colourful flowers and the promise of a great deal more.