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Grounds Maintenance, Landscape Creation, Arboriculture, Sports Surfacing, Parks management, IOS Managing Safely Training, Ecology & Biodiversity, Grass cutting, Horticulture, Street Cleaning, Soft Landscaping, Hard Landscaping
Our Services
idverde provides a wide range of green services, including grounds maintenance, landscape creation, and advice services, to both private and public sectors across the UK.
The Orchard Park Project
Earlier this year, basketball clothing brand Chain Net Apparel and social enterprise FORM+ FUNCTION came together and co-founded the Orchard Park Project. This community project aspired to breathe new life into the previously neglected area, and provide the local youth with a bright and welcoming space to enjoy outdoor activities.
Earlier this year, basketball clothing brand Chain Net Apparel and social enterprise FORM+ FUNCTION came together and co-founded the Orchard Park Project. This community project aspired to breathe new life into the previously neglected area, and provide the local youth with a bright and welcoming space to enjoy outdoor activities.
The first phase of the project aimed to regenerate the basketball court, which was not being used to its full potential. Additionally, they wanted to improve the immediate surrounding area and create a space for art, planters, and an additional park entrance.
The project successfully raised over £30,000 in just 8 weeks. This secured funding for:
- BB court complete re-surfacing
- New line mark painting, new court fencing, new backboards, and fixed equipment repair
- Tidy existing flower beds and relocate plants/shrubbery to new freestanding planters
- New pedestrian entrance on Goldsmith Ave side
Did you know?
This basketball court is currently the only court in Portsmouth catering for 3×3 basketball play, the most popular urban team sport in the world.
Our role
idverde worked with Willmott Dixon, a construction company, to supply and install planting and shrubs around the immediate area of the basketball court.
Main Challenges
One of the main challenges faced was the anti-social behaviour that commonly occurred on the site. As it was previously neglected, it became a hot spot for this type of behaviour and deterred people from using it for outdoor sports. To discourage the behaviour, it was vital to create an attractive space that locals felt pride in.
Another challenge was promoting the use of the facilities at Orchard Park. Before the project, the basketball court was not seeing as much use as desired. We wanted to contribute to creating a clean and inviting area to promote both physical and mental wellbeing as well as an area that could be enjoyed by the local youths throughout the seasons. It was also requested that the plants were low maintenance, to ensure the park remained tidy.
To achieve these goals, idverde took into consideration the type of shrubs and plants that were used in the project. We used plant species that looked good and could withstand each season so that the park could be enjoyed throughout the year.
The Result
The area has undergone a complete transformation with the help of idverde and other local businesses and has created a lasting, positive impact in the local community.
There has already been an increase in the utilisation of the park, with more youth participating in outdoor activities on the basketball court. A local team of volunteers continues to maintain the area to ensure it remains a positive space.