Building Society colleagues help create therapeutic garden for Light Project Peterborough
A group of colleagues from Yorkshire Building Society’s Wisbech branch have rolled up their sleeves to support local charity, Light Project Peterborough, by helping to create a new therapeutic garden.
Emma, Kelly, Toni, and Shannan from the Yorkshire Building Society branch in Wisbech helped Light Project Peterborough transform an outdoor space into a calming environment designed to promote education and mental wellbeing.
Light Project Peterborough supports people in need across the city and delivers projects such as Street Chaplaincy, a Homeless Health Hub, Emergency Night Shelter, and Peer Support.
The charity’s Garden House project serves as Peterborough’s homeless hub, providing a vital point of contact for anyone sleeping on the streets. People experiencing homelessness are directed to the Garden House project and many return for additional support when they are in accommodation.
Between April and September 2025, the charity has supported 245 people to move off the streets and into accommodation, and 9,284 visits have been made to the Garden House.
The new therapeutic garden will provide a safe and peaceful setting where guests can learn new skills, connect with nature, and find moments of respite during challenging times.
During their volunteering session, the team carried out a range of practical tasks including gardening, weeding, sanding and painting communal benches, and seeding the grass area, laying the foundations for a vibrant space that will soon blossom into a hub of healing and learning.
Toni Dawson, customer consultant at Yorkshire Building Society said: “Volunteering with Light Project Peterborough was inspiring and thought provoking. We learned more about the challenges faced by many in our community and were so impressed by the services that the volunteers provide.
“Spending time as a team rejuvenating the garden gave us a real sense of achievement and we are proud of the difference we made. The therapeutic garden will help support so many people in our community and we are delighted we were able to do our bit to bring it to life.”
Yorkshire Building Society runs an award-winning volunteering scheme, which gives colleagues 31 paid hours each year to dedicate to volunteering in their local community.