A team of green fingered employees from leading international law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing's Edinburgh office will roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty as they plant hundreds of bulbs as part of a regeneration and redevelopment project in Oxgangs, Edinburgh.

On Tuesday 22nd September, the 10-strong group from HBJ Gateley Wareing, made up of partners, fee earners and support staff, will team up with volunteers from Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, a client of the firm, and local residents to transform the recreational space around the development.

Housing regeneration specialist Lovell, which is building the 290-home regeneration development in Oxgangs, for Dunedin Canmore, has helped out by contributing £250 to buy bulbs and has also donated 30 pairs of gardening gloves for the volunteer gardeners.

HBJ Gateley Wareing has always taken a very strong line on corporate social responsibility, establishing its own in-house team for this purpose and recently scooped the much coveted Corporate Social Responsibility Firm of the Year awards at the Law Awards of Scotland 2009.


The firm has a programme of fundraising initiatives and environmental and community involvement projects planned throughout the year.

Malcolm McPherson, senior partner at HBJ Gateley Wareing said: "As a firm we are strongly committed to corporate social responsibility, and it is great to see a team of ten individuals roll their sleeves up to help a local community project. It is also fantastic to see our CSR team uniting with clients to take part in fun and innovative ways of helping others.

"With the current recession and as budgets come under pressure, it is too easy for companies to lose sight of its corporate social responsibility, when charities and local communities need help more than ever. Each and every event is important and ensures that we remain connected to the most vulnerable members of society."

Dunedin Canmore Housing Association was appointed in 2003 to develop central Oxgangs with HBJ Gateley Wareing advising on the ongoing leasing work for the development.

The regeneration programme is taking place on the former site of three high-rise tower blocks and will provide a broad mixture of house and flat sizes catering for a variety of household types including the elderly and disabled. The last phase of the regeneration programme will commence shortly with completion in summer 2010.

Susan Napier, Development Director at Dunedin Canmore said: "We are very happy to be working in partnership to deliver this environmental initiative to the community. It is about everyone getting involved in the community and taking ownership of the area."

Lovell regional director Alan Taylor said: "For us, being involved in regeneration projects is about more than just carrying out the building work and we are always keen to support initiatives like this which make a real difference for communities."

(GK/KMcA)