A GROUP of teenagers have helped to begin the transformation of the top floor of a multi-storey car park into a secret roof garden.

The youngsters, who all belong to the National Citizen Service (NCS), volunteered their help to the project, which is the brainchild of Mike French and Grounded Enterprises.

The rooftop of the Sovereign Centre car park in Boscombe will be transformed over the next year to become a community space, with a herb and vegetable garden and a café for locals.

The secret roof garden was one of 12 NCS social action projects led by the Bournemouth-based charity organisation BCHA.

Mike explained there were currently three productive, natural growing sites in the Boscombe area, with the car park becoming the fourth.

“I got involved in The Secret Garden in February 2015 – the garden was two years old then and developed on derelict church land in Boscombe,” he said.

“Alan Kenny, an inspiring horticulturalist, headed it up with a vision to enable people to ‘feed my family, friends and community’. Regular volunteers come and help and learn skills, with the hope to grow their own at some point.”

The people involved in the project come from a variety of backgrounds, including people in recovery, those suffering mental health issues, as well as many professionals. Members of the vegan community, young mothers, and children from local schools have also participated, with the NCS teenagers coming on board recently.

The Sovereign Centre roof garden has already benefitted from a batch of recycled rubber crumb turf from Littledown, donated by BH Live.

“NCS have been a great asset to getting this roof project going,” added Mike.

“There is a huge amount to do on a very low budget, so it all helps. They raised £200 which we used for paint and building materials.

“They initiated a pallet wall for herb growing and a pallet fence.

“The painstaking hours they spent pulling apart pallets and taking nails out was much appreciated.”

Dominic Weir, NCS community engagement worker, said: “This story is an example of the positive impact young people can have on their communities.

“We just need to give them the tools, support and opportunities to realise their potential, which is where programmes like NCS are so valuable.”