| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Bankside Open Spaces Trust | Bringing together people in London to create inspiring urban green spaces. |
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Bankside Open Spaces Trust | Bringing together people in London to create inspiring urban green spaces. |
All BOST’s work is based on the needs of local people. BOST are particularly concerned with the role small green spaces can have in bringing together fragmented communities around mutual action. Through the ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ project they have been able to realise their aims of encouraging people to contribute their time, particularly people limited by poverty or health, from hard to reach and isolated communities. The project has been particularly successful in engaging groups from different cultures and achieving cross-cultural cohesion. BOST values enormously the different contributions made by people from different societies and cultural groups, particularly where individuals have had to overcome cultural or language barriers to make these contributions. Volunteers have come from a variety of backgrounds including South American, Moroccan, Kosovan, and Bangladeshi communities, amongst others. 
In order to retain and nurture the volunteers, there are a number of support mechanisms in place. All volunteers receive a full induction, and CRB checks where necessary. Training is provided and volunteers are supervised and guided by staff throughout their work. Volunteers are encouraged to take on roles and responsibilities which develop their own needs, and all efforts are made to support different needs, e.g. language, literacy, physical ability. Each volunteer has a named staff member responsible for their support on a daily basis and review meetings are undertaken regularly; all staff have elements of volunteer support in their job descriptions and staff meetings always discuss a practical element of volunteering. 
