Welcome to BOST

News and information about Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Ten years old!

We hope to celebrate with you at one of our events:

Friday 2nd July, 3.30 - 6.30 'What's Going On?....'
Big showcase family event for our tenth birthday
with our partners at Blackfriars Settlement, Better Bankside and Bankside Residents Forum


Weekend of 14th and 15th May, Combined birthday celebrations with our partners at the Tate Modern

Who owns BOST?

BOST is the Bankside Open Spaces Trust, working in the area south from the Thames near London Bridge BOST works to shape local concern into action, for parks, gardens, the streetscape and the wider shared environment.

BOST promotes inclusive action and carries out consultation to ensure that local needs are met for each green space in the area. We work in partnership with local people, Southwark Council is a key funder and land managing partner, we are grateful for support from businesses, and to other partners and funders. We run steering groups for the majority of our projects to ensure full local management and inclusion of all stakeholders in decision making.

BOST works closely with local people to facilitate local improvements. We are proud to have been awarded Goldstar status to support and share our work involving volunteers in improving their environment.

Whats happening at Waterloo Green?

Bankside Open Spaces Trust and Waterloo Green Trust (WGT) are now working in partnership with a view to becoming one single organisation.BOST now manages all staff and the day to day responsibility for running Waterloo Millenium Green.
We invite residents to join our new locally lead steering group for the Green, to ensure continued local management and help with fundraising and planning for the future. Please write to us or email waterloogreen@bost.org.uk if you would like to get involved.

We are particularly grateful for the vision of Waterloo Green Trust's chair, Gillie Johnson in setting up this partnership. Following Gillie's recent sudden illness and passing away, BOST offer great sympathy to her family, she will be missed by all who knew her. We hope that the Green will serve as a lasting reminder of her life where Gillie's passion and vision will continue to shine through.

I would like to thank all those who have supported Waterloo Green Trust over the years and who have helped create a place that is not just a green space in the heart of the city but also a centre for the whole community. WGT chair Gillie Johnson in 2009.


What we do

Our work includes planning and managing parks, re-landscaping, running celebratory events and helping local gardeners. We have direct responsibility for Red Cross Garden after our revitalisation of this important historic community garden. We are discussing taking on the lease for Waterloo Green, and fundraising to ensure we can do this well. Our other projects are run alongside the landowner, usually Southwark Council Parks or Housing, but also the Tate Modern, and other Housing organisations and businesses.

We particularly welcome frustrated gardeners of all ages to help with planting and caring for areas of parks and gardens across Bankside.

Among the tourism of the riverside, beside the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe, and among the commuters of London Bridge, this is an area where people live. The area holds families with children and teenagers, older people, many of whom have lived here all their lives, and a large number of homeless people. We work to use our green places and community gardens to bring together these different groups, and help develop towards becoming a more active and caring member of their own vibrant community .