The construction of the Britain branch office near Chelmsford, Essex, is projected to be completed in December 2019. Already, it is recognized by secular experts as an example of land rejuvenation.

When our brothers purchased the property in 2015, it was a vehicle scrap heap and an unregulated dump site. Volunteers unearthed and recycled large quantities of waste material, including thousands of tires—some dating back to World War II. Then they sifted through the contaminated soil to remove even small pieces of debris, and recycled or repurposed the debris when possible, reusing the soil on the site. Ultimately, more than 11,000 brothers and sisters have volunteered over four million hours to help restore the 34-hectare (approx. 85 a.) property.

The finished property will include native and botanical gardens, ponds, wildflower meadows, and an orchard. The landscape design goes beyond aesthetics. It also provides homes for native wildlife, manages surface water sustainably, preserves mature trees and hedgerows, increases native plant numbers, and beautifies the area for local residents.

Brother Paul Rogers, a member of the Construction Project Committee (CPC), says: “The property we purchased had been neglected and abused for many years. The transformation of the site began with an army of willing volunteers painstakingly sorting through the waste. The cleanup phase was followed by shaping and profiling the land in harmony with the existing natural features of the site, along with the planting of hundreds of new trees, bushes, and other plants. The beautiful end result echoes the words of Ezekiel 36:35, 36: ‘And people will say: “The desolate land has become like the garden of Eden” . . . And the nations . . . will have to know that I myself, Jehovah, have built what was torn down, and I have planted what was desolate.’”