NEXT and Dobbies Garden Centres transform our community hub in Glasgow

We partnered with NEXT and Dobbies Garden Centres on an important redevelopment project at our Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate in Glasgow, one of five supported living estates we run for people retired from the retail industry.

Our goal was to better meet the social and physical needs of our residents and those living nearby, by creating a new community hub that would also offer more local support for people with long term health needs.

What truly sets this project apart is the hands-on support we received from our retail partners who helped us to transform the space, both indoors and out. NEXT’s team took on the interior design of the hub and generously donated the furniture and materials to bring it to life. This is in addition to the funding that NEXT, the B&Q Foundation and bp provided to make our plans a reality. While Dobbies Garden Centres’ staff volunteered their time and donated products to create a new garden area.

Jonathan Sykes, general manager at Dobbies Garden Centres, said: “The Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate is a fantastic community asset and our Milngavie store team are proud to have had the opportunity to volunteer their time to transform the garden space. There’s now a pond to encourage wildlife, seasonal planting, garden decorations and raised beds, so the residents have the opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables. We hope they enjoy the space as much as our team enjoyed supporting this really important project.”

The feedback from the local community has been overwhelmingly positive, with both the council and other retailers coming forward following its launch to offer us more support, because they can already see the impact it is having on people’s lives.

If you would like to find out more about how your organisation can play its part in projects like it, please get in touch.