At the beginning of March, we supported Growing Sudley in their celebration of the Changing Rooms, the culmination of five years of work to redevelop the derelict, council-owned changing rooms building into a hub for wellbeing in nature. 

Around 300 people attended the event held in the Walled Garden, participated in tours of the building and enjoyed the treasure trove of garden activities such as botanical tile making, seed sowing and making herbal bath bombs. It was also a very welcome opportunity to come together on what felt like the first warm, sunny day of the year and celebrate all of the people who have supported and been involved in the project over many years. 

For us, the highlight of hosting building tours was seeing practitioners interact with the spaces for the first time, appreciating in action how the low-carbon and natural material approach to retrofit has influenced the look and feel of the spaces. Seeing them being able to enjoy and engage with a building fabric that has so evidently been co-created with many hands, from the hempcrete installation to botanical tiles to the reused cricket board signage. It was particularly nice to hear how the building spaces have impacted the well-being of not only the visitors but also the practising staff.  

With spring around the corner, it felt like the perfect day to celebrate a shared enthusiasm for the principles of the project in commitment to low-carbon and circular economy principles. It very much felt like a new chapter for the site, building on the success of Growing Sudley’s work to date and the beginning of the changing rooms as a thriving hub to support Growing Sudley’s ongoing work in the Walled Garden.