Peter McVerry Trust, the national housing and homeless charity, has won a gold medal with its first ever Show Garden at Ireland’s largest gardening festival, Bord Bia Bloom 2022.

‘Pathways to Home’, designed to represent the journey from homelessness and sleeping rough to living in a safe and secure home, won the highest accolade at the festival. The medal is a remarkable achievement for a first time Show Garden.

The garden was designed by Seán O’Malley and Oisin Griffin of Griffin Landscape Architecture, and brought to Bord Bia Bloom in partnership with The Housing Agency.

Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said, “We’re over the moon with the gold medal – it’s fantastic. I would like to say a huge thank you to our garden designers Sean and Oisin, and our garden partner The Housing Agency. It’s a great achievement for the team.”

Sean O’Malley and Oisin Griffin, the garden designers said, “We’re delighted – it really means the world to us. It took a lot of hard work to get this far and we’re so happy it all paid off with a gold medal. It’s a fantastic experience.”

About ‘Pathways to Home’

The garden, through the use of carefully considered materials and planting, prompts consideration of the pathways undertaken, challenges faced and self-reflection undertaken by people supported by the highly successful and innovative ‘Housing First’ model.

Housing First provides a person sleeping rough with their own secure accommodation as well as access to intensive and specialised support services. The garden represents key elements of Housing First; the right to housing, the lack of barriers to access, an emphasis on reflective spaces, resilience in materials and the representation of different journeys.

‘Pathways to Home’ was designed by Seán O’Malley and Oisin Griffin of Griffin Landscape Architecture, a Dublin based Landscape Architecture practice. The garden is sponsored by Peter McVerry Trust and the Housing Agency. The Housing Agency is a government body working with the Department of Housing and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in the delivery of housing and housing services. The Housing First National Office is based at The Housing Agency.