Action! Film set flowers bring Hollywood glamour to New Barnet

New Barnet station has been transformed into a floral wonderland, thanks to a blooming lovely station partnership.

Thanks to a new between with the station’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway’s new Station Partner, The Flower Bank, a New Barnet social enterprise, Great Northern passengers are now able to enjoy swathes of silk flowers on their commute.

The unique enterprise re-uses and recycles surplus and used flowers from supermarkets, fellow florists, weddings and the corporate world, using them to brighten up spaces such as the station.

The Flower Bank’s founder, professional florist Ursula Stone, has built a considerable reputation for her zero-waste, community focussed approach. Greens Team, specialist set designers at Pinewood Studios, knew of Ursula’s work and offered The Flower Bank the artificial flowers from the set of a major production once filming had finished.

The huge bouquets were delivered over the summer, and Ursula set to work arranging them in window boxes and planters around New Barnet station. The planters and window boxes were created from old wooden pallets, and local branches of Marks and Spencer and Morrisons have donated the hanging baskets. So far, more than 30 of the installations are delighting passengers, and there are plenty more to come!

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.”

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