ANNA interviews: Flora from Washed Up Cards

Why does your business do?

Washed Up Cards is a social enterprise company that creates handmade greeting cards using plastic picked up from beach cleans to spread a message of hope for the planet. We also run corporate beach cleans and creative workshops to promote mental health, as well as caring for the environment.

What was your lightbulb moment? 

It was the lockdown and I was furloughed from my job. I had worked in sustainability for a long time – it was quite a tough time, as it was for many people. I started litter picking and beach cleaning on my own to get some fresh air and to have something to do. When I found plastic treasures like buttons or sequins on the beach I thought, they look great, I want to do something with them. So I started making cards with some of the plastic I’d collected.

I remember some early ones I made for my neighbours saying, ‘Everything will bee alright’ – the bee shape was made from some yellow  and black plastic I’d found – and I wrote inside, ‘If you’re shielding I can shop for you. I’m at number 70 if you need me’. And on the back I said where I had picked up the plastic – in this case, the Thames beach! People loved the cards and started asking me if they could come with me on my beach cleans, so I set this up once lockdown was over and Washed Up Cards was born!

What’s your favourite thing to find on the beach?

Gosh that’s hard, as there are too many! I particularly love Lego so finding bits of Lego is really cool. I have a load of it and need to make some cards with it, actually. I also have a thing about Smartie lids – I find one almost every beach clean and they banned the lids in 2005, so 20 years on we’re still finding them every day which unfortunately shows how long plastic litter stays around. Then there was the time when I found a football sequin on the day of the Euros final and was convinced it was a sign England was going to win. Sadly it wasn’t the case!

What’s the best thing about running your own business?

I run the business on my own and the part that gets me most excited is bringing people together in nature. Living in a big city like London can be overwhelming; I take people to beachclean along the Thames and I see that going down there to the shore line, crunching the pebbles and being outside in nature is just so restorative. People feel relaxed, they have great conversations and they have the head space and the time to simply enjoy looking around them. 

It’s just a wonderful sanctuary – there are 125 species of fish and birds to see: dolphins, seals, tope sharks, spur dog sharks. The Thames was declared biologically dead 60 years ago so we’ve come a long way. I haven’t seen a seal yet myself but a lot of my beach cleaner friends have! 

The fact that I am doing exactly what I love doing and it’s very aligned with who I am just feels incredibly lucky. And that sets you up for a healthier and more content life.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced?

Constant fear and anxiety is my biggest challenge, mainly around whether I've got the right skills to continue growing this business. I still work 1.5 days somewhere else to support myself. I probably shouldn’t admit that, running a business, but it’s the truth and I always try to be authentic. 

What advice would you give other business owners facing this same challenge?

I need help from others. For me it’s being as open as you can; there’s no point hiding behind your laptop and doing things wrong so I ask for help all the time. My brother is my mentor and really helps me when he can. So I’d say be open and be vulnerable around things you can’t do and ask for help. Regarding my fears about running the business – I still need help with that!

What’s your super power at work?

Ooo, I love people and I’m playful and I have fun with what I do! The puns on my cards, the treasure hunts on the beach, bringing new groups of people together and seeing the goodness coming out of it. So I think my superpower is creating meaningful connections, a sense of community and togetherness. I am learning to say that without cringing!

What’s next for you and your business?

Finding a sponsor for my community beach cleans will be on my to do list – they’re free for anyone to join. I’ve done corporate beach cleans for lots of big brands like Meta and Pinterest. Having good conversations, team building and raising awareness about the environment is so important for companies these days. So sponsoring a community one is a great idea of course!! 

I also want to work with more schools and get a business model where if a school is struggling to pay for a workshop then my corporate sponsors will pay twice so a local school can have a beach clean too. 

I love my cards and am thrilled to have more than 30 stockists now – but while the cards are how it started and play an important role in amplifying the message about beach cleaning, they are the shop window. I’m chuffed to be selling 200/300 a week but I’d need to sell 10k a week to make it a viable business on its own. So running more and more events is the big focus in terms of next steps.

Who would your dream customer be?

Ooooh! OK, first off it would be amazing to see Washed Up Cards stocked in high street shops I love like Oliver Bonas, John Lewis or Scribbler. And I’m desperate to get former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on a beach clean – I’m mad about my football and I think he’s such a great leader and a good person, he built a lovely team and culture and it would be so interesting to talk to him about that. I’m actually getting closer to that dream – I’m so excited to be doing a beach clean with Chelsea Football Club! I had an idea two years ago after thinking that footballers have such an influence on young people and that if local school kids were to do a beach clean with their idols, seeing them picking up rubbish and talking about how important it was, it might have a lasting impact. So I approached all the London football clubs and didn’t hear a thing. Then at a small sustainability event recently I met someone from Chelsea FC and he just said. ‘Let’s do it!’ I’m so excited! 

If someone wanted to buy your business tomorrow for £250,000, would you sell?

No, I don't think so. I want to keep doing what I am doing and see where it goes. 

Finally… do you prefer cats or dogs?

Dogs, always. My family we’ve always had them and I adore them and feel like they are so loyal and comforting and playful. If I am having a rough day I often think I just want to be a dog, apart from the fact they can’t eat when they want to eat, that would really stress me out! 

Learn more about Flora’s beach cleans and check out her brilliant cards at https://washedupcards.uk/