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. Ruth, who was 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 felt like 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 is an understatement to say that I’m indebted to a fantastic group of volunteers for, without their excellent support, interest and wisdom, I genuinely wouldn’t be able to continue. Have a great week. Ursula
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