We Love Enfield

Spring Comes to Enfield - if you're looking for it!

2012-03-04T02:52:00.000-08:00

I spend my life taking photographs in my head. Even when I don't have a camera I'm taking pictures! I look at how I'd frame things, what makes a view or a person special or unique, how I could expose for best effect and so on.

So it was, when returning from a haircut on Friday that I first noticed the blossom on the trees around the New River Loop in front of Enfield Register Office, on Gentlemans Row. I decided to return as soon as I could with my camera.

It's always lovely when Spring begins to overtake dull, grey and cold winter and I think everyone's heart is lifted by the bright colours of the early blooms as they push through previously frozen ground. I hope that the photographs below will bring a little bit of joy, and encourage you to keep your eyes open for the small details that can brighten your day!

Congratulations to Enfield Council for their planting schemes and make sure that you take time to notice the small details and help you to remember that Enfield is a great place to live & work.

Dan

Love is in the Air at the Willow

2012-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

	Love was certainly in the air last night, as over 100 publicspirited individuals gathered together at the Willow Restaurant in Southgate to celebrate Valentines, and raisemoney for the wonderful North London Hospice. The evening was a tremendous success, not just in terms ofmoney raised, but also in terms of the relationships thatblossomed and bloomed as the evening progressed. The host Dani Frangimore of Sprint Printers and Stationerswas overwhelmed by how well the evening went off and by thegenerosity of the businesses that supported her efforts. Signature Sounds were responsible for the banging tunes thatgot people on the dance floor as soon as they were able, andthe venue was enhanced by the beautiful cupcakes from Cakes by Soulla and the ballons supplied & set up by Sabella Floral Designs. My photographs from the evening can be viewed here, or on facebook here (guests, don't forget to "tag" yourselves so thatyour friends and family can see how fierce you all lookedlast night!). As a further fund-raiser, full sized image downloads can bepurchased from Daniel Davies Photography for only £10,with all proceeds going to the North London Hospice. There really were so many photo opportunities for me lastnight, I had an absolute blast photographing such a friendlybunch. Thank you from me to everyone who mademy job so easy. Dan P.s. Don't forget that this is the place to promoteanyone or anything who helps make Enfield such a fantasticplace to live and work. There's no charge(!) so ifyou know of someone, then please put me in touch withthem; just add a comment in the space below and I'll get on to it. I'd love to help them!

Dani is the Valentines Queen!

2012-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

What with today being the centre of everything romantic, it seemed that today was the perfect time to photograph Dani Gavriel, who not content with her hard work for Sprint Stationers, is also up to her eyeballs in final preparations for Sunday's Valentines Ball at the Willow restaurant in Southgate.

The ball will be raising funds for the wonderful North London Hospice. It should be a great night, what with the Willows' lovely food and sophisticated ambiance and the always excellent music provided by the guys at Signature Sounds. I personally can't wait to tuck into the towers of red & black cupcakes that Cakes by Soulla will be setting out (if you're coming, don't be late or they might all be gone!).

I asked Dani why she put herself forward for all this work, and she explained that her family had had a private fundraising event for her 25th birthday, raising money rather than passing gifts and that this had inspired her to put on something on a more public level. Dani had personal experience of the tireless efforts of the hospice, and so thought they'd be the perfect charity to raise money for.

So earlier today I popped down to Sprint's busy Oakwood branch, where I found a small space in amongst their extensive stock. We found an appropriate cup and saucer from Sprint's wide range of valentines gifts, and sat down to take this lovely portrait:

Unfortunately, it's too late for you to purchase any more tickets for Friday's ball, but there are still opportunities for people or businesses to offer prizes to be given out on the night - what a great piece of positive PR that could be! You can also make a donation to the hospice via this direct link.

I hope to see everyone this Sunday & be ready, I'll have my camera!

Dan

Cathy Underwood - Expanding the boundaries of yoga in Enfield and beyond

2012-02-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

As regular readers will know, the We Love Enfield Photo Blog is constantly on the lookout for people who are just doing that little bit extra, and using their skills to put something into the mix that helps make Enfield such a great place to be. One such person is the wonderful Cathy Underwood, who has expanded her yoga teaching business Yoga4Mums in a number of great directions.

Last night I went to Merryhills Primary School, one of a couple of venues that Cathy teaches from in order to help raise funds for local schools (the other being Forty Hill School), but what really inspired me to want to make a portrait of Cathy was the work she's doing under the "Yoga4Care" banner.

Cathy is committed to extending the reach of Yoga throughout the community and Yoga4Care provides classes for special needs and learning disabled, mental health and all other vulnerable groups. Cathy says; "Yoga is an exercise that is suitable for all age groups and abilities. Our teachers are trained in all areas of special needs and mental health with a sensitive and practical approach and we tailor classes to small groups and individual needs."

Equally importantly, Yoga4Care also provides classes for those caring for people with special needs. Again, it's over to Cathy for an explanation; "We appreciate the dedicated attention and care that carers, parents and families provide each day. Therefore, we have devised a simple yoga programme that can help relieve physical and mental stress and replenish energy."

Cathy can be contacted on 07957 272066 or via her twitter feed @Yoga4Mums.

We salute you!

DanP.S. Do you know of anyone who we should be featuring on the We Love Enfield Photo Blog? Fill out the comments form below if you know of anyone or anything deserving of a feature.

Karen & Gunther (and a famous friend) @MyCoffeeStopUK

2012-01-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

Karen & Gunther (and a famous friend) @MyCoffeeStopUK
Karen & Gunther compete for attention with their extremelyimpressive coffee machine.
I decided to launch the "We Love Enfield Photo Blog" asthere are so many great people in the borough doing so many greatthings and I wanted to do my bit to draw attention to a few of them. Today I had a longstanding appointment with Karen Mercer & Gunther Hollenstein, owners of the amazing MyCoffeeStop, which resideson the London bound platform of Enfield Chase Station.

When I first "stumbled" upon their shop, I was immediately drawn inby the quality of their coffee, but as much as that has remainedconstant, what's kept me coming back is the unique atmosphere andethos of MyCoffeeStop.

Gunther the barista. He can make your coffee, from scratch, in less than 30 seconds?

The shop seems to draw in all of the most interesting people passingthrough Enfield, with the level of banter and goodwill somethingyou'll never see replicated in a 'Costbucks' type chain store. It also acts as a conduit for Karen's amazing fundraising efforts forthe Chickenshed theatre group, with a book swap being one easy wayto raise funds for such a good cause.

As well as it all tasting great (especially this mornings freshly baked cakes), you can leave with an easy conscience as everything in theshop is Fair Trade.

Karen Mercer with Clive Bull and a lovely bit ofCake.

An unexpected bonus of my visit was the arrival of long time LBCpresenter, and unchallenged king of relaxed talk broadcasting,Clive Bull. Clive's taking a break from more than15 years of overnight broadcasts, and using the time to catch upwith old friends. Karen is a former LBC travel presenterand so he arrived to show his support to MyCoffeeStop.

Karen filmingClive tasting MyCoffeeStop's fabulous ChocolateBrownie for an online video review.

Karen was kind enough to enthusiastically explain theconcept of this blog and of the wider #WeLoveEnfieldcampaign, both of which Clive wholeheartedly backed.

You can find out so much more byfollowing @MyCoffeeStopUK on twitter. Come and take alook the next time you're passing Enfield Chase station. You'll love the coffee, you'll love the people, andyou'll realise that it's another reason why We Love Enfield!

Dan

A couple of Enfield Vignettes

2012-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today. I was out in Enfield with my camera and took a couple of shots that illustrate some of the best parts of the borough.

Firstly, enjoy this shot of Town Park this afternoon, just as the sun started dropping down:

And finally, I noticed the inscription on this bench in Gentlemans Row. I don't know what the story is behind it, but it's quite lovely and a little moving.

It goes to show, that theres beauty of all sorts all around us, you just have to look for it.

Dan

Enfield Hairdressers; Building a Merry Christmas for Haven House Hospice

2011-12-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

I was really pleased to be able to drop into James Whittaker Hairdressers on the Lancaster Road in Enfield yesterday where James and his merry team are collecting Christmas Presents for the Haven House Children's Hospice in Ilford. Haven House is "a special place for special children" providing essential support for children and young people between the ages of 0 to 19 who have life-limiting conditions and who are unlikely to reach adulthood. All of this is done at no cost to the families of those needing support, and you can be sure that they'll really appreciate the donations that James's generous customers have donated.

It's still not too late - James can accept donations for the hospice if you drop down to see him over the next few days.

James can be found at 82 Lancaster Road, Enfield, EN2 0BX and is open Monday to Saturday.

Or you can contact James on Twitter, or follow him on Facebook.

Don't forget - if you have a local "good news" story, or want to bring attention to anyone local or any local business doing something extra-ordinary, then we'd love to cover them on the "We Love Enfield Photo Blog". Drop us a message in the comments section below and we'll do the rest.

The Blog can only succeed with your help. We think Enfield is a fantastic place to live & work. If you agree then please send us a story.

A Flash Mob hits Enfield Town Centre

2011-12-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Saturday 10th December, and history was created as Enfield hosted it's first "Flash Mob".

On the pavement outside Nandos, the guys and girls from the North London Dance Studio (with help from the Enfield Business & Retailers Foundation, Loving Social Media, Love Your High Street and Signature Sounds) entertained a large crowd (both human and animal!) with an uplifting dance routine.

Here are a few of my favourite shots from the day (click on the images to see them full size):

Alternatively you might like to view the whole slideshow here:

And this is the video expertly put together by the talented @BenDylCreative

Dan

What is the "We Love Enfield" blog?

2011-12-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

This blog is a celebration of some of the things that make Londons most northerly borough a great place to live, work and visit. It centres on high quality photography, showcasing some of the interesting people and events that are always present in our borough.

Many years ago, these kinds of stories would have been covered by local papers, but with circulations declining and budgets shrinking there is perhaps less opportunity to get these kinds of stories published than there was previously.

If you have a reason to celebrate life in Enfield then we'd love to hear from you!

To get things started - if you thought it was cold recently...

Those were a few images from early 2010. Enjoy today's sunshine!

Dan