What encapsulates the excitement of the reopening of retail better than bountiful spring blossoms on one of the world’s most iconic shopping streets? We are delighted to have been involved in bringing Bond Street into bloom as this elite shopping destination partners with the National Trust to celebrate blossom season and with the aim to bring joy to people far and wide. Set in the heart of Mayfair and encompassed by many of the world’s most outstanding hotels and restaurants, Bond Street is a historical, cultural and luxury landmark. From 12th April Bond Street are welcoming customers back and to celebrate the occasion, which coincides with British blossom season, the street has been lined with Twilight Trees’ very own Apple Blossoms. The temporary installation is part of the National Trust’s ‘Blossom Watch’ campaign, which aims to create a UK equivalent of Japan’s world-famous Hanami – the annual tradition of admiring the blush-tinted blooms. Each tree on Bond Street will have a code which visitors can text to donate £5 towards the National Trust to plant a tree. During the lockdown, many more people have turned to nature to boost their happiness and a growing body of evidence suggests that taking small moments each day not notice nature, is vital for feelings of wellbeing. The Biophilia hypothesis is something we have discussed before and is the idea that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. The interesting thing about this is that it doesn’t have to be real, it doesn’t even have to be faux, simply including elements of nature in a design can be enough to have an impact and it is something that we are continuing to explore as a company. The National Trust began #BlossomWatch last year and thousands of images were captured of trees in bloom and shared across social media platforms. It was such a huge success that the National Trust has decided to make it an annual tradition. To read more about what they do, the benefits of blossom and how to identify each type, click here. Annie Reilly, Blossom Programme Manager at the National Trust said; “Our aim is to share the simple joy of blossom with as many people as possible, and with 83 % of people in England living in urban areas, anything we can do to encourage or enable people to enjoy this key moment of spring, has to be a good thing. “Money raised through our fundraising will be used to plant a range of different trees, including millions of blossom trees – in both urban and countryside locations – as we work towards achieving our ambitions to plant and establish 20 million trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the next decade.” Katie Thomas, Associate Director of Bond Street & Mayfair at New West End Company said; “We are looking forward to welcoming customers back to Bond Street and hope the stunning sight of blossoms along the street will bring them joy. Bond Street is home to the world’s most prestigious brands, so you can guarantee beautiful and stylish experiences for customers in stores. The blossoms are the perfect antidote to lockdown and we encourage our visitors to delight in the spectacle and share their photos to participate in the nationwide ‘Blossom Watch’ with the National Trust.” The blossom trees will be on Bond Street from 12th April – 9th May 2021. To get involved donate £5 to the National Trust to plant a tree or simply take and share imagery on social media using the hashtag #BlossomWatch. As always, after the installation, the trees will be reused at other events in the UK and any carbon emissions offset with Twilight Trees’ tree planting programme. Hopefully, you’re all enjoying the bountiful signs of spring and let’s hope that it signals a summer of celebration as the world starts to open its doors.
