Mark Gregory of
award winning Landmark Design & Build has designed the garden, while the office and
interiors are styled by top TV design guru Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. The venture was developed around the concept of
working from home and offering an alternative office space within the garden. No stressful journey to work, but there is a
short journey to be made – walking to work, using stepping stones across tranquil
water!
Traditional
materials have been used in a modern way to create what Laurence calls a “sexy
suburban” ambience. The garden and office are designed to offer an insight into how
work styles can be altered for the future to offer a more flexible approach for
employees/workers of all ages.
By 2030, over a
third of the population is expected to be over 60, and Help the Aged is thinking ahead
about how employment might change in the future and how employers can attract older
workers. One way to achieve this is to become more flexible and to offer home working.
Laurence
Llewellyn-Bowen says:
 “The small office/home office concept that
we're creating is about marrying the traditional and the contemporary, in an innovative
and modern way and move people's pre-conceptions of Help the Aged. The garden provides an
exciting opportunity for the charity to promote an innovative & sophisticated design
and also Chelsea's first "sexy suburban" garden.”
The RHS
Chelsea Flower Show 2003 takes place from 20 – 23 May 2003 in the grounds of the
Royal Hospital, London, SW3
Ticket Hotline( 0870 906 3781
Help the Aged calling all green fingers
If you are a keen
gardener, over the age of 55 and would welcome the challenge of bringing colour to your
neighbourhood, Help the Aged could have £1,000s to help you do just that.
This spring the
Charity is calling on all over 55s to put their interest in gardening to good use and is
offering grants to fund individuals or groups of up to three to set up a community project
of their choice. Awards can even be made to
set up a gardening and horticultural project for you and your friends!
Maybe you would like to spruce up a neglected public
garden or park in your area or set up a project to tidy overgrown gardens of local older
or disabled people. Whatever your gardening
project idea, we encourage you to get in touch – we would like to help your great
gardening idea become reality!”
 Enthusiastic over 55s interested in helping their
community should ring 0870 770 3280 or email cama@helptheaged.org.uk. Applications close 30 June 2003.
Thanks to the
Millennium Commission, Help the Aged has just over £1 million to fund community projects
around the country. In addition to gardening, the Charity will consider a range of ideas,
from IT training classes to art projects or dance classes to coffee mornings.
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