Local Face: Eileen Lock-Macardy

“Old Florists Never Die; They Just Make Other Arrangements”

Eileen Lock-Macardy was born in the Gables Nursing Home, Wendover Road, Aylesbury in April 1959, and has lived in the same house in Weston Turville for all of her life. Her first school was Weston Turville primary until the age of eleven. She attended the John Colet Secondary Modern, where she ‘stayed on’ in the sixth form, before becoming head girl in her final year.

In 1978 when she left school, her plan was to train as a teacher in Oxford. Always keen to work with children she had helped at John Hampden School whilst studying in the sixth form at John Colet. As a young teenager, instead of a Saturday job, she used to make floral gifts and arrangements to sell to a fine gift/card shop called ‘Touch of Class’, Wendover. However, her career path changed quite dramatically when she was asked to help during the summer holidays in the Interflora shop, ‘Stewarts of Wendover’, in 1978. The proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart had an affinity with Eileen’s competence of floristry at an early stage, and it wasn’t long before Mr. Stewart was confident enough to ask Eileen to look after the shop under the guidance and support of her parents. That trust prompted Mr Stewart to approach Eileen and her parents with the prospect of purchasing the shop. It proved to be the greatest of all opportunities for Eileen to become a Professional Florist. Eileen’s parents and a family friend Mrs. Megan Eldridge backed her with great enthusiasm.

Early on in Eileen’s career she was chosen to supply the flowers for Tottenham Hotspurs 1982 FA Cup Final reception at the Cunard International Hotel in London.

Eileen’s ambition to teach never left her and she later taught at the John Colet but this time it was Floristry to adults in this community.

Since then she has created many arrangements and displays for local celebrities, actors and actresses at Pinewood Studios, as well as visiting Prime Ministers and Royalty. She has designed arrangements at Crystal Palace and Earls Court and also Balloons with vases for the Bucks Herald Business Excellence Awards on a number of occasions and has won many awards at Bucks County Show.

Showing signs of her long time in floristry, Eileen is the first to admit that she can even remember certain locals’ anniversary flowers as well as creating wedding flowers for the sons and daughters of parents she attended school with. Eileen’s sympathetic and compassionate approach has sustained her 30 years experience as a most inspired Interflora Florist of Wendover.

“Running a business in the community you grew up in is most rewarding—newlyweds come to show pictures of their Happy Day, those bereaved call later or long after a sad event for a chat. Others call to let you know how their garden is growing.”

Eileen’s shop is situated in The Tanyard, Tring Road, next to A.G. Elegant Clothes, which is where she met her husband Fraser 26 years ago. They married in 1997 at Weston Turville church and work very happily together.