Last week I spoke to MM Flowers which was fascinating. They’re based in Huntingdon and supply the supermarkets with flowers they import from Kenya, Ecuador and Africa to name but a few. Marks & Spencer have reduced their order which I can vouch for as I’m picking up far less surplus. The British peony season was 2 weeks early and co-incided with the Dutch peony season which has contributed to the shortfall in supply too. The long and short of it is they’d like to work with The Flower Bank but have to work out the logistics of our supply chain. In the mean time a wedding from Claridges has helped swell flower supplies as well as a late night collection from OXO Tower on Thursday night. I arrived back home at 1.30 am on Friday morning and by 12.00 pm the flowers had been used with residents from the 3rd floor of Jewish Care’s Stella & Harry Freedman House. Ironically Mark (in the photograph) and his family had briefly owned Moyses Stevens in the 80’s! This Thursday I’m driving into town to Tobacco Dock to collect plant arrangements from a PWC event but I really need a more sustainable form of transport so I’m meeting my new Labour councillor on Wednesday to discuss Council initiatives. Have a great week. Ursula

Tuesday last week was not only the first day of train strikes but my day of filming with Antonin and Patrick from “Les Echappees belles”. All their carefully laid plans had been scrapped as their Eurostar journey home had been brought forward and they had to drive to Kings Cross. It was at break neck speed that I was filmed travelling to Marks & Spencer Whetstone to collect flowers - the warehouse staff there played their part brilliantly and then it was on to my Age UK students via The Flower Bank. The students in my class were only too happy to be interviewed and filmed and some had dressed up for the occasion which was lovely. Assuming we don’t end up on the Cutting Room floor the programme which is all about gardening in the UK will be aired on Saturday October 1st! Thanks to everyone who helped get the shop ready for filming - Patrick and Antonin said it was tres beaux and tres chic which was praise indeed. Later that same afternoon I joined the fabulous Leo and his over 55 group at Barnwood, a community forest garden in East Finchley (see photograph). The 2 hours I spent there making kokedamas were transformative - I left calmer and re-energised. On Wednesday I received an email from MM Flowers who are the flower retailer that supplies the supermarkets saying they like what The Flower Bank does and how they would love to partner with The Flower Bank - I’ve got a zoom meeting on Tuesday with them which I’m thrilled about as this really could be huge. Have a great week. Ursula

I’ve got the French TV crew visiting on Tuesday and I’ve been painting and tidying for what seems like weeks. I remember my old boss at The British Museum, Ken Stannard, speculating before a state visit from the Queen that she must always think that anywhere she visits smells of fresh paint - this TV crew is bound to think something similar! I had a bit of a dress rehearsal last Wednesday as I had a visit from Omar, a photo journalist from “The Smiley Movement”. The Smiley Movement, I hear you ask, who or what is that? So, you know the yellow smiley face symbol which was synonymous with the acid house movement of the early 90’s? Well it’s owned by the Smiley brand who obviously sitting on a lot of money from copyright set up the Smiley Movement to make a positive change in the world by highlighting organisations and individuals that put purpose, people and the planet before profit. It’s a great mission statement and I was flattered to be found by them. On Tuesday the French film crew plans to meet early so that they can follow me on a typical day - from flower pick up to a class I run for Age UK and all points in between! Before then I’ve got table arrangements for a City Bridge Trust dinner to create and deliver to Tower Bridge and serendipitously Shuayb a young offender with a tremendous eye for colour and placement started his community service with me last Monday. Thrown in completely at the deep end he was an absolute joy and helped me create a funeral arrangement for Chris. Her widower told me later in the week when he kindly brought me a box of biscuits that everyone at the funeral had commented on the flowers and described them as “the nuts”. I can’t wait to tell Shuayb. Have a great week. Ursula

Yesterday at 5.00 am I drove into town to collect flowers from a fundraiser at Old Billingsgate near Tower Bridge. Billingsgate proper, at 5.00 am when I drove past, was brimming with customers and such a contrast to the empty North Circular I’d been driving on for the past 30 minutes. Tickets to the fundraising event at Old Billingsgate had been £5,000 each and by the time I arrived all trace of the previous night had been removed. The venue was a hive of activity full of people dismantling scaffolding, fetching and carrying it’s amazing how Jo the florist keeps so calm when she’s given such a tiny window in which to dismantle everything. The flowers I collected are gorgeous and will be used in funeral tributes and an arrangement for Ark Secondary School’s reception. The bouquets that I made yesterday for customers were truly glorious. Monday is the start of British Flowers week and I challenged Gail from St Mary’s Church in East Barnet to create a gorgeous design using the flowers and bless her, she didn’t fail me. Have a great week. Ursula

As well as it being the Jubilee this weekend it’s also the Jewish festival of Shavuot which commemorates Moses receiving the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai. This festival is all about flowers so earlier in the week I ran 2 activities with girls and women from the ultra orthodox Jewish community in Golders Green. As luck would have it on Wednesday I’d received a desperate phone call from the PA to a CEO of an oil company in Mayfair to please come and collect some boxes of stunning Pulbrook & Gould flowers. “Our CEO’s wife has just had a baby boy” she explained and the family had been inundated with flowers which she felt sure constituted some sort of a health and safety risk! So those flowers were turned into floral crowns by 20 eager girls on Thursday afternoon. Yesterday I had the unique privilege of collecting ex RHS Chelsea display plants from a field at the National Trust’s Morden Hall in South London and way out of my comfort zone. The drive through London’s bunting draped streets to collect the plants was wonderful as were the 50 plants I was allowed to choose. I’m off to prepare a Jubilee trifle for Leicester Road’s street party this afternoon and hope you’ve all had a great break. Have a great week. Ursula

On Friday I visited a glorious supported housing block ‘Trees’, off North Hill in Highgate, to deliver an activity. Amanda the daughter of one of the residents had heard me on the radio a year or so ago and resolved to get the care home to invite me in. The whole experience was a total joy amongst the group was Ruth, who no spring chicken herself, kept asking me to guess how old Fanny (on the right in the photograph) was. Before I had time to reply she told me “102” and I was genuinely inspired and blown away in equal measure. Also in the group was Anne who told me that she’d been a florist and had studied at the Constance Spry School of Floristry and finally after a floristry career at The Dorchester ended up at Constance Spry’s shop in Fulham. Constance Spry was a revolutionary who would combine classic flowers with unusual finds from hedgerows and allotments and her influence is still felt in floristry today. I really felt as if I was in the presence of a floral superstar and she hadn’t lost any of her skills! Next week it’s National Volunteer Week and it really is an understatement to say that I’m indebted to an amazing group of volunteers for without their wonderful support, interest and wisdom I genuinely wouldn’t be to able to continue. Have a great week. Ursula

On Wednesday I collected the most beautiful flowers from a Google event at the Georgian 5 star retreat, The Grove, near Watford (see my haul in the attached photograph). I’d only visited the hotel from the “Tradesmen’s entrance” before and wasn’t really sure what all the fuss was about, well now I do. It’s the most amazing 300 acre estate moments from the M25 and incredibly close to my favourite film location to visit out of hours, Magic Mike, co-incidentally the set that just keeps on giving. I’m indebted to Jo Wise from Floral Circus who contacted me about the floral surplus which I’ve been able to turn into an activity with the elderly, a funeral tribute, countless birthday and anniversary bouquets and today they’re going to be in a whole host of wedding designs and garlands in rural Oxfordshire. On Thursday I received a phone call from Antonin, a French TV journalist for “Les Echappees belles” a travel/discovery programme that aims to promote a destination via local culture, traditions, food etc. He told me that the Programme’s been on TV since 2005 and gets an average of 1 million viewers every Saturday night and would I and The Flower Bank be interested in being filmed? They’re in London mid June which doesn’t leave me long to do a deep clean of the shop but once today’s wedding is over, I’m turning my attention to the shop’s back garden. In the mean time if you’ll excuse me I’m off to write some last minute lists, have a panic, a strong coffee and set off to Wantage. Have a great week. Ursula

On Monday afternoon I used last week’s Magic Mike flowers to make bedside arrangements with elderly bed bound residents in Jewish Care’s Stella & Harry Freedman House. The photograph shows one of those arrangements pride of place on Netta’s bookshelf next to her telegram from the Queen. I hadn’t really appreciated just how much isolation there can be in a residential care home. This week we’ve been on a bit of a jubilee frenzy putting up bunting, decorating the shop in royal paraphernalia and inhaling far too much spray paint. I’m expecting another Magic Mike delivery today. Talking of deliveries this Wednesday I’m anticipating collecting plants from The Grove in Watford and if it’s anything like 3 years ago the car will be groaning! Have a great week. Ursula

Late on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon I received a phone call from Roz asking if I could handle surplus flowers from an event in I could have sworn she said Neasden. “Yes please” I said “Great, I’ll drop them off at your shop in 40 minutes”. 40 minutes later Roz turns up from Leavesden and the set of Magic Mike 3 with the most stunning selection of roses and foliage. Roz it transpires is the sustainability champion on the film set with the task that day of disposing of flowers and 300 freshish cream cakes! It turns out that film sets are actively working on reducing their carbon footprint and Roz was thrilled to think the flowers would be of use. So, all week I sent her photos of the flowers being put to different uses from classes with Age UK, Haringey’s mental health groups and finally in funeral arrangements. Cut to Friday night when I find myself on the parking lot of Warner film studios at Leavesden to collect more flowers from Magic Mike. The parking lot, except for security staff, was deserted much to my disappointment. This time it was huge white hydrangeas and lilies to collect. I mean M&S flowers are amazing but these flowers are in a different league! Apparently there are a few more weeks of filming left so who knows what or where I’ll be next! Have a great week. Ursula

This week Event cycle an organisation that disposes of surplus from events got in touch to say that there would be plants available for us to collect from Lower Kitts End Farm in High Barnet if we were interested. I naively thought that the plants might be from some “Archers” style wedding or barn dance! All became clear when I met the events company based at the farm the next day; the farm had long since abandoned any livestock and rented out their barns more profitably to a whole host of users. I felt greedy as I loaded up the boot with plants and troughs but was assured it was fine and conversation revealed that the plants and props had come from a Google sustainability event the previous day! Co-incidentally I was contacted the same day by Jo to say that if I was available could I please collect plants from The Grove on Wednesday May 18th. If it’s what I think it is it’s Google’s away day leftovers! Their last away day was pre-Covid and they spent a staggering £1 million on the day, I left with my old car filled to overflowing with plant booty. My car’s been in for a service since Thursday so I’ve had the luxury of an automatic and heated seats for a couple of days. The downside is that the boot space is tiny which made delivering wedding flowers on Saturday awkward and collecting a whopper load of hydrangeas from M&S Temple Fortune on Friday morning impossible so huge thanks to Lubna who helped out with their collection. I’m spending the rest of the weekend dealing with my favourite 3rd party brokeDBS who are still on the scene. Have a great weekend. Ursula.