A team of six volunteers from a St Albans chartered accountants gave the garden area at Open Door night shelter a colourful revamp, painting the garden fence, potting plants and giving the area a general spring clean.

The project by Mercer & Hole was aimed at creating a more pleasant outdoor space for the charity’s residents and team.

Open Door is a homelessness service in St Albans, run by the Hightown Housing Association, which provides accommodation and support for people surviving without a secure place to live.

With a team of more than 85 volunteers, the charity regularly offers accommodation and a hot meal to up to 12 people per night, in addition to drop in support and advice services designed to get users back on their feet.

Ross Lane, partner at Mercer & Hole said: “It was a privilege for me and my team to give our time to Open Door so the residents have a colourful area to enjoy throughout the seasons. We hope our small contribution will make a big difference to those who use the garden facilities at the charity.”

Open Door volunteer coordinator Sarah Chambers added: “We are so grateful to the team at Mercer & Hole for supplying the gardening materials and giving up their time to make a big difference to our outdoor space.

“Our residents and team regularly use the garden area, especially during the summer months so it is fantastic that they have a colourful and tidy setting to use.”