Michael Hodges Director of Broadway Heritage hosted a Garden Party in Ranelagh Road in Malvern on 28th August for residents of the restored and converted St Leonard’s House and new development Gospel Place.
The Garden Party – including tent, bunting, and Abbot & Green refreshments – took place on Saturday on the lawn in front of St Leonard’s House. The garden at St Leonard’s, much embellished by one of the residents Patti Mackie, provided the perfect backdrop on what turned out to be a warm sunny afternoon.
The event marked the birth of the small but beautifully formed new community in Ranelagh Road and provided the opportunity for residents to get to know each other and put a name to a face. Michael Hodges said, “It was delightful for me to see the residents enjoying their conversations and exchanging anecdotes of how they came to be living here. For me as a developer it’s not just about bricks and mortar but about community and this event was designed to help people here feel that they really belong.” It was much enjoyed by over 30 of the residents and guests, including four leading officers of the Malvern Civic Society.
The Society’s Chairman Andrew Huntley took advantage of the occasion to present Michael Hodges with their 2020 Civic Society Award. He was Highly Commended ‘for conserving Malvern’s architectural heritage’ – namely St Leonard’s House – formerly known as Salvation House. (Part of the former convent complex the building is now 6 luxury apartments and duplexes.) The pandemic last year had prevented the presentation of the Award.
Mr Huntley said, “This was rather a neglected part of Malvern and Michael has done a wonderful job in reviving it. The word is regeneration. You [the residents] are part of that process. It’s a lovely bit of Malvern and it’s so good that you’re living here and will be able to enjoy it.”
Michael Hodges said, “I was very pleased to receive this Award, and celebrate it with the residents now living here. I very much hope that they will continue the summer Garden Party as a tradition in future. In the past two years we have all come to recognise how important it is to have good neighbours and look out for each other, and this is my small contribution to help that happen in Ranelagh Road.”
Gospel Place, Broadway’s most recent development comprising 14 unique new-build homes – has been shortlisted for the Civic Society’s 2021 Award, in competition with other local buildings of heightened architectural interest.
