This week I met Stefan who’s creating Nomadic Youth London a travelling youth club which will bring activities and events to free spaces across North London at an affordable and discounted price. The Flower Bank is down to run a Shadow Box Shrine workshop on Sunday 20 October. Meanwhile back at the hub building continues apace and every day there’s a massive difference and much to see. Next Friday the flooring’s going down and the following week the flower chiller. Today I’m picking up some external racking from the Wyevale Garden Centre at Potters Bar with the kind help of Tony, the electrician. Yesterday was the wonderful Tottenham Flower & Produce Show - it’s always glorious weather and a wonderful celebration of all things horticultural. I’d attended Priscilla Wakefield House on Friday morning where 7 residents had created flower arrangements to enter in to the cut flower arrangement category. I’m delighted to say that Mohammed & Joyce were awarded 1st and 2nd Place and wheelchair bound Doreen, fellow resident and entrant was able to collect their certificates. Yesterday, my stall was next to the Felix Project a charity that collects wasted food from supermarkets and distributes a staggering amount to schools and youth clubs. We resolved to collaborate on a sustainable wedding, bar/bat mitzvah reception where they provide the food for someone to cook and I would floralise the event. If you know of anyone who might be interested please get in touch.

September is here - Autumn’s on its way and for me it feels like a fresh start. On Tuesday in “back to school” mode I attended a Barnet Council Activities Matter event at Middlesex University which was inspirational. Following this event The Flower Bank has been asked to host an event for Silver Week which is in early October and will be a great test for the space and facilities at the newly refurbished Flower Bank hub space. Yesterday I contributed in a minute way to Extinction Rebellion’s cause. They’ve been holding a weekend’s festival at Duckett’s Common, Turnpike Lane and Downhills Park Tottenham - thank you Julie for your help. Meanwhile work at the shop is phenomenal and next week plumbing and painting start. Next weekend is Tottenham’s Flower & Produce Show so on Thursday I’ll be getting young offenders to make miniature gardens to enter and on Friday I’ll be at Priscilla Wakefield House helping some of their residents to create flower arrangements to enter. If you’re around next Saturday the Flower & Produce Show is at Lordship Recreation Ground and a wonderful day out. Have a lovely week.

Steve, as seen in the photograph is part of the fab 4 (sometimes 5) creating The Flower Bank Hub in the most testing of temperatures and it’s wonderful watching it take shape. Next week it’s back to school - the empty roads have made my early morning collections from supermarkets a dream and I’m dreading the traffic. I’ve just returned from a meeting with Haringey’s Extinction Rebellion Group, they’re holding a demonstration next weekend and focussing activities on Downhills Park, N15. We’re going to be decorating the entrance to the park and their boat. Have a great week.

I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. As you can see from the photograph work is progressing extremely well at the hub and each day brings a new delight. Last week a window was installed in the back room transforming it from a dark, damp, depressing space into a bright and happy room. On Friday I was in my home town of Lancaster and visited The Paper Gallery which after 39 years is being forced to close as they can no longer compete with online shopping. This shop figured large in my school years as it was the place to buy all your cards from. I bought a card carousel from them which will be put to use displaying cards from Studio 306 collective. Studio 306 is based in Haringey and is led by the wonderful Pamela. It’s a community enterprise that empowers people recovering from mental illness by offering both a creative space and the skills of arts and crafts practitioners. Their work is amazing and if you get the chance to visit they’re based in the old post office in Wood Green and I’m delighted to be working collaboratively with them. I’m on the look out for an unwanted long dining table, anyone with knowledge and skills around artificial lawn laying and possibly assign writer. Please get in touch if you feel you can help, I’d be very grateful. Many thanks.

This week I heard that 2 grants that I’d applied for I’d been successful in. The first grant from Barnet Council is for wellbeing and improving the mental health of Barnet residents. The activities that I propose to run both at the hub and in and around Barnet fit perfectly with the Flower Bank’s aims. I don’t know if you’re aware but the Flower Bank’s base at Leicester Road was formally home to the mental health charity Heart Reach and former clients have visited us unaware that Heart Reach has moved and disappointed that there’s no activity taking place so I propose to run a well being class once or twice a month. The other grant from Space2Grow will help me purchase a credit card machine. On Thursday I was back working with young people in Haringey and this arrangement was prepared by Paris and is too delightful not to share. From September each session I run and where the young people learn will be credited by AQA and I’m thrilled. Meanwhile back at the hub work is progressing well and the builder is confident we’ll be finished mid September (he’d already booked his holiday with a departure date of 20 September which is a huge motivator!)

Last week, after an exhaustive search for a builder - building work finally began on creating The Flower Bank Hub. Antonio, the builder is wonderful and understands my vision - which has been re-inforced by the stream of endless interested customers popping in to see what’s going on and offering help. Even Antonio’s grandson who’s working on site has caught the Flower Bank bug. Last week he took a bouquet home to a neighbour on his Tottenham estate who was overwhelmed by his kind gesture. On Tuesday we found a floor safe and you would have thought we’d won the lottery - the safe remains unopened but after much rattling we know it’s empty. Despite the building work, which is supposed to take between 4 - 6 weeks and the school holidays I’m still managing to run my activities and deliver flower arrangements. Enormous thanks to my daughters Mathilda and Ella who have fast become excellent tea makers and developed a wonderful threshold of tolerance to chaos Next week we’ll be installing windows, building floors and carrying on work as normal. If anyone wants to come and have a look we’ll be happy to show you round. Have a great week.

It’s been quite a week - on Wednesday I was fortunate enough to pick up all the wasted food in the picture which was then collected and distributed by Colindale Food Bank to their clients. People who visited me that day were flabbergasted at the scale of it all. After many false starts I’ve finally found a builder who starts work at the shop tomorrow - it’s the husband of an ex Capel Manor classmate of mine who loves The Flower Bank’s ethos. He estimates that it will take between 4 - 6 weeks and that he will try and work round us. I’ve been busy de-camping plants and pots for weeks to the home of our wonderful supporter and volunteer, Carol. Carol lives 6 doors away from the shop and is a plant whisperer, she’s teaching me a thing or two about plant care. For the period of construction where feasible I’ll try and work from the shop but please watch this space.

Question - how do you keep flowers alive in this heat? Answer - with great difficulty. This Thursday the hottest ever recorded July day you found me with buckets of iced water, a fan and an air conditioning unit struggling to get the heat down. On the plus side the orchids and rubber plants loved it!! On Wednesday I was delighted to create my first floral mobile for those living with dementia. Floristry and the impact it has on people living with dementia is an area I’m very interested in. I have been been introduced to Montessori techniques in dementia by Tamer an activity co-ordinator at Lady Sarah Cohen House, watching the respectful way he engages with residents is inspirational. On Thursday I ran my first workshop for Age UK Barnet and I’d been lucky to collect the previous day a gorgeous selection of tropical loveliness from Tivoli Services. It was also extremely refreshing to have a gentleman take part and you can see how pleased he was with his finished design in the photograph. I’m struggling to make collections from Aldi East Barnet although my nearest participating supermarket I seem to be more adept at collecting from the more far flung suppliers - would any kind soul mind taking this on for me please? Keep well and for those going on holiday have a wonderful break.

Last week I received an email from Brent Cross’s environmental and community co-ordinator wondering if I’d like their ex display plants. Of course I collected them and was treated to a whistle stop behind the scenes tour of Brent Cross at the same time - needless to say my drive home was rather testing! During the week I also received a message from someone in the community asking if I could find a use for her surplus garden flowers,. I’m picking them up on Monday morning as I’ll use them in my session with Barnet young Offenders later that morning and couldn’t be happier to put them to good use. On Thursday Lisa from Colindale’s Community Foodbank who picks up bread and flowers from me on a weekly basis told me how much the flowers are appreciated. She told me that the previous week 2 ladies who were given flowers were totally shocked and cried and said that no-one had brought them flowers for 30 years - now if only I can find a home for a 4’ ex display rubber plant I’d be laughing!!