Thanks to Govia Thameslink Railway's new station partner, The Flower Bank, passengers using New Barnet station can enjoy the array of flowers.
The New Barnet enterprise finds ways to reuse and recycle surplus and used flowers from different locations such as supermarkets and florists.
Their founder, Ursula Stone, is a professional florist and has a zero waste, community focused approach to her work.
Greens Team at Pinewood Studios were aware of Ursulas work and offered her the set of artificial flowers they had just used for filming.
Ursula and her team arranged them into hanging baskets, planters, and window boxes for the station.
The planters and window boxes were created from old wooden pallets that local Morrisons and Marks and Spencers donated
Over 30 containers have been installed, with many more to arrive soon.
Ursula said: “Just after Greens Team got in touch to offer this fantastic donation, I saw that Govia Thameslink were inviting bids for community project grants. I missed the deadline, but their community relations and station teams were interested in my sustainable approach and asked if The Flower Bank would like to be an official Station Partner. The station is only a five-minute walk from my shop and I saw it as a great place to make a big public flower display at the heart of the community.
“This is a total team effort, from Greens Team and their amazing donation to the small army of volunteers making containers and bringing the displays to the station. The only thing we've had to pay for is the quick-drying cement the flowers are set into in the window boxes. Because they're artificial they don't even need water!”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said: “We're so delighted to welcome The Flower Bank as our latest official station partner, and for our station to be one of the community places that this unique organisation has chosen to brighten up with their beautiful displays of re-used flowers.
“We owe a huge thank-you to Ursula and her team of volunteers for bringing a touch of screen magic to our passengers' journeys, and to Greens Team at Pinewood for their generous and thoughtful donation. The Flower Bank's activities are a perfect fit with our aims for cutting waste, sustainability, and above all, cheerful customers. Through these partnerships we aim to forge stronger local links and make our stations more valuable, sustainable assets for the communities they serve.”
Ursula added: “We run flower arranging classes in residential care homes and day centres. The colour and the smell of flowers seems to really help the residents and working with flowers seems to have a restorative effect. I love to see the joy it brings. It's clear from the comments of passengers at the station that the flowers are boosting mental wellbeing there too – commuters have sought me out to say how happy they feel!”
