Community

THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

FOR SIDCUP FLORIST

Since 2012, Sweet P The Florist has been providing exquisite handmade flower arrangements for all occasions - including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, christenings, funerals and corporate events.

Portia (the P in Sweet P), wanted to mark the 10-year anniversary in style so invited the public into the shop were celebratory drinks were the order of the day.

Lots of regular customers came along to wish Sweet P well and were welcomed with free alcoholic drinks. Many neighbouring businesses popped by to offer congratulations too - including Rich at Resknow who designed Sweet P’s website, Kelly at opticians Wright Eyewear; Ina from the hairdressers Zone, and Sue from the estate agent Your move. The Sweet P shop, located in the heart of the town on Sidcup High Street, was very busy all day. Children and families were all welcome to join the fun with free gift packs including discount vouchers, chocolates, ladybug logo stick ons, a pack of seeds, 150 biscuits, 60 cleansers worth £28, 100 walking balloons for the kids. There was also a kids tombola at 10p a go and everyone won prizes worth between 50p and £5.

Commenting on the achievements of the business over the last decade Portia pointed to 10 years of hard graft from a dedicated and happy team. “We have found our absolute A team. Every day is a good day, and every day is fun, yet professional”.

As a thank you to girls who work at Sweet P, Portia sent them off to the local LAB salon for an hourlong beauty treatment.

The treats didn’t stop there after Sweet P closed for the day the staff and friends enjoyed cocktails at Ninety – Six Cocktail bar, followed by a curry at Moghuls. All of which went down a treat.

Portia wanted to mention the constant support from the local undertakers including Udens and Co-op. And Francis Chappell & Sons and FA Albin & Sons. Also monthly contracts from local businesses including, Beadles , Porsche, Sidcup nursing home. Baugh House, BexleyCo Homes, Queensgate apartments and many more.

“Without the support from the public and local businesses, we wouldn’t still be here! It means the world.”

Sweet P The Florist Visit www.sweetptheflorist.com

I am a long-time resident of Sidcup and have lived in the Carlton Road area since 2008. It is such a great location, close to our thriving High Street and particularly the Morrisons supermarket.

I am enjoying the return to in-store from enforced online shopping during Covid, but I was also hoping to see some changes this year to the way abandoned trolleys are managed.

In June 2016, I featured in the Newshopper under the headline ‘Frustrated woman battling with Morrisons to remove abandoned trolleys from Sidcup Streets’. Whilst my family laughed at the ‘frustrated’ tag, it was a bit of an obsession with me because Sidcup is otherwise so well presented. I was spotting abandoned trolleys almost daily in parks, alleyways and in the doorways of flat.

Sidcup’s leafy streets are being blighted by these hunks of metal and plastic. Abandoned trolleys are being retrieved from as far away as Sidcup train station and beyond. The only recourse was to call Morrisons Sidcup to have trolleys collected.

Morrisons head office were of a view that customers were too inconvenienced when asked to use a coin system. After many conversations between myself, staff, and head office, Morrisons have since commissioned the ‘Trolley Wise’ Man with a Van to collect trolleys that people report.

I now use the Trolley Wise App to upload a photo and a location to report trolleys and since downloading, my effort means there are 72 fewer trolleys on Sidcup streets thus freeing up staff time and saving Morisons money (and customers’ money) in replacing them.

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to be introduced to Jennifer Macguire the Sidcup Morrisons Community Champion at the Sidcup Bid AGM and she kindly agreed to answer a few questions for me.

Q The Trolley Wise App works but I suspect not many are aware of the service. What measures are Morrisons taking to let Sidcup residents (not just shoppers) know they can report abandoned trolleys though the App?

A We will ensure we have the Trolley Wise app visible in as many places as we can, i.e. customer service, notice board, trolley bays etc. We will also advertise on our social media platforms (Facebook: Morrisons Sidcup Community Champion and Instagram: @morrisonssidcup) and of course we can now advertise it in this magazine which will reach many more residents in our community.

Q What about other residents who do not have access to App technology?

A Residents who cannot access technology can either report them in store to customer service or call the store on 0208 309 4780

Q The current solution still allows trolleys to be wheeled off site. Wouldn’t it be easier to reintroduce the coin system or a wheel locking system so that trolleys can never be taken or abandoned in the first instance?

A Thank you for the feedback in this area. That is always a tricky one as the coin system was originally taken off due to complaints as they didn’t always have a pound to get one and with less people carrying cash the problem got worse. I will pass this feedback on to Head Office and be in touch.

You can contact Ana and Jennifer as below

Anashua (Ana) Davies , Secretary Old Bexley & Sidcup Labour Party

contact@obslabour.london

Jennifer Maguire, Community Champion Morrisons Sidcup Sidcup sidcup.champion@

morrisonsplc.co.uk