In My Backyard book launch

Speaking with the backdrop of the Thames and the City skyline, Simon Hughes MP and broadcaster Chris Baines commended the book which is about Bankside's growing number of gardens.

The paperback, with colour photography by Sue Snell, tells the story of Bankside Open Spaces Trust's achievements through the words of local gardeners and its other supporters. Some gardens are large, some are old parks rescued from neglect and others are window boxes.

The book, featuring numerous people living between Blackfriars and London Bridges, is intended both as a souvenir for SE1 residents and visitors as well as a guide for other urban communities looking to re-green their streets and hidden corners. Also there is a look forward to the conversion of now closed Gambia Street into a garden.

In My Backyard: Growing a Sense of Place in Bankside (£6.95) is available from Tate Modern bookshop or direct from Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) at 5 King James Street (020 7261 1009).

Copies will also be on sale at the Bankside Information Day in Southwark Cathedral's churchyard on Friday from 11am to 6pm.