We all agree - Enfield is Magic!

Working at a recent wedding, I met up once again with local close up magician Kevin Flannery.  

I was amazed at his slight of hand & theatrical skills - and smiled at the way that he single-handedly entertained a large group of wedding guests in that often difficult period between the ceremony and the meal.

As the guests sat down to eat, drink and be merry, I chatted to Kevin about the idea behind the WeLoveEnfield Photo Blog, and suggested that as he fitted the bill as one of the more interesting and unusual characters in the borough, I might take a photograph of him and feature it here:



As you can see, Kevin graciously accepted!

You can find out more about Kevin at http://www.kjfmagic.com/.

If you know of anything interesting, unusual or just plain great going on within the London Borough of Enfield, or just someone who's doing/done something amazing, then why not get them featured on this blog.   It exists to celebrate and bring wider notice the great things going on around us, giving us all more and more reasons to shout "We Love Enfield".

Drop me a message in the comments below if you've got any ideas!

Bush Hill Park goes Jubilee Crazy

How wonderful it was to see the whole community coming together (and the weather just about holding fine!) for one amazing street party in the appropriately regally named Queen Anne's Place in Bush Hill Park this afternoon.

The entire afternoon was aimed at raising money for the excellent Great Ormond Street Hospital, and judging by the numbers attending they should be receiving a worthwhile contribution once all the pennies are counted.

Individuals and businesses worked side by side to create a truly memorable atmosphere for the scores of families who attended, and if my experience of the '77 Silver Jubilee is anything to go by then these are memories that they will carry forward for the rest of their lives.

Trying to name everyone who put considerable time and effort into creating such a great event is an envidious task, and I'll no doubt forget many, but big congratulations to Natalie Vassilou, Denni King, Bush Hill Park Nursery, Rebeccas Cakes, Signature Sounds, Enfield Fire Brigade and everyone else.   You should all be proud.

Here are a few images I captured as I wandered around the party earlier today:



These and more can also be found on my facebook page, so if you like to tag, comment and share please pop on over!

Dan

Innovation Celebrated at the Dugdale Centre

Tuesday evening saw the final of the 2012 Enfield Innovation Competition at the Dugdale Centre.

The competition celebrates, inspires, promotes and supports businesses, residents and students of the borough who've created, developed or produced innovative products or services.

Here are a few images of the ceremony, presentation and celebrations:


With the 2012 awards coming to a close, focus starts to move to the 2013 renewal.   You can benefit from a huge amount of support just by entering, so if you think you're an innovator, check out the 2013 competition website.

The WeLoveEnfield photo blog is designed to showcase and promote the many unusual or interesting events and places in London's most northerly borough.   If you know of anything that you'd like me to cover then please drop me a comment below.

Dan

Your London Florist Lights up Southgate

Sometimes, a single picture is enough to tell a story.

I've loved the beautiful "art deco" shops around Charles Holden's 1933 Southgate Tube Station, and after getting to know Migle who runs the excellent Your London Florist I was itching to take a picture showcasing the fantastic shop as the light dropped towards evening.

So tonight, I went dodging buses, double parked motorists and people 'just hanging around' to capture this lovely picture of the shop, and of Migle working away in the window.   The shop is open late in the evening, so if your journey takes you through Southgate Station why not stop off and grab a bloom for someone significant in your life.

We Love Enfield, precisely because it's full of great independent shops like Your London Florist, but they'll only be there if we support them!

Dan

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

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

	Love was certainly in the air last night, as over 100 public spirited individuals gathered together at the Willow Restaurant in Southgate to celebrate Valentines, and raise money for the wonderful North London Hospice.  The evening was a tremendous success, not just in terms of money raised, but also in terms of the relationships that blossomed and bloomed as the evening progressed. The host Dani Frangimore of Sprint Printers and Stationers was overwhelmed by how well the evening went off and by the generosity of the businesses that supported her efforts. Signature Sounds were responsible for the banging tunes that got people on the dance floor as soon as they were able, and the 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 that your friends and family can see how fierce you all looked last night!). As a further fund-raiser, full sized image downloads can be purchased 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 last night, I had an absolute blast photographing such a friendly bunch.    Thank you from me to everyone who made my job so easy. Dan P.s. Don't forget that this is the place to promote anyone or anything who helps make Enfield such a fantastic place to live and work.   There's no charge(!) so if you know of someone, then please put me in touch with them; 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!

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