Auree Admires | Flora Blathwayt

Flora is the founder of  Washed Up Cards, a social enterprise on a mission to tackle plastic pollution through creativity and community action. A long-time supporter of Auree, we've worked with Flora for years - even saving our waste paper to send to her, which she transformed into envelopes for her handmade cards. An adventurer at heart and passionate advocate for the outdoors, Flora inspires others to connect with nature and protect it for future generations.

We recently caught up with Flora to hear more about her journey, the inspiration behind Washed Up Cards, and her passion for protecting our rivers, oceans and natural spaces.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I make greeting cards decorated with plastic collected from rivers and beaches around the UK. I also run beach clean-ups and creative workshops that help people connect with nature, support mental wellbeing and tackle plastic pollution with hope.

So what would a typical day like be for you?

I always start my day with a cold shower and, more recently, 10 minutes of stretching and a few moments outside barefoot. It helps me feel grounded and sets me up for the day with a calmer mindset.

So what inspired you to start your business?

My business actually started during lockdown. I'd been working in sustainability for a few years, including at Rubies in the Rubble and Notpla. When I was furloughed, I started exploring the River Thames and noticed how much plastic pollution there was.

I began going on walks with a bag and gloves, collecting litter. With a bit more time on my hands, I started turning some of that plastic into greeting cards and giving them to neighbours. People loved the positive message behind them and soon wanted to buy them, so I started selling them.

Five years later, it's grown into a social enterprise. People wanted to join me on litter picks and clean-ups, so I became a river action leader and have now led more than 150 clean-up events with schools, charities and companies including Auree, Chelsea Football Club, Adidas, Depop and Lululemon.

I've always loved the ocean, rivers and being outdoors, having grown up surfing, sailing and swimming. A big part of what drives me is helping people connect with nature. Getting outside, slowing down and doing something practical like litter picking can be incredibly rewarding and good for mental wellbeing.

I want the business to continue growing, bringing together environmental action and creativity. Last year I started making sculptures from plastic waste, including a giant shark made from litter collected from the Thames. We created it to highlight that sharks actually live in the River Thames, including Spurdog sharks that use it as a nursery ground. The more people appreciate what's in the river, the more likely they are to help protect it.

What would your favourite weekend look like?

It’s got to involve surfing, and maybe camping if the weather’s good. I’d love to get a van one day. Any weekend in the water - surfing, swimming or sailing is ideal for me.

If not that, then something outdoors like a run or a walk, even in the rain, finishing at the pub watching football.

What are you most proud of?

That's a really good question. There are a couple of standout moments.

One of my proudest was receiving an email from a mum who had bought one of my cards and started following my work. After seeing a post where I talked about having dyslexia and running a business, she showed it to her 10-year-old daughter, Jeannie, and told her, "You don't have to let anything hold you back, this person's got dyslexia like you."

Jeannie later emailed me, and I sent her a card kit. She wrote the loveliest message saying, "I'd like to work for you one day, you made me think that I can do anything and dyslexia's not going to hold me back."

That was incredibly special.

Another standout achievement was making a shark called Eugene. It was an unbelievable four weeks and unlike anything I'd done before. I even had help from Goldsmith Uni graduates. This year, we're going to be throwing Eugene down the Thames on a kayak, so if anyone wants to come and see that, let me know.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

I could go on and on here, but I think the one which stands out for me is to always ask questions and never be ashamed. If you think it's going to be silly question, I ask so many questions and I often think, "God, I think this is so basic." But actually it often turns out that someone else was thinking it.

Who do you most admire and why?

I'd probably start with my mum. Long before recycling and upcycling became mainstream, she had multiple bins in our house for different materials and was shopping at refill stores when I was about 10 years old. She quietly lives her values and always says, "Convenience equals catastrophe." That's something that's always stuck with me.

I also really admire Mya-Rose Craig. I've read her book Birdgirl, and I love her passion for getting more people, especially those from diverse backgrounds, engaged with nature and birdwatching. That's something I care deeply about too.

And if I can choose one more, it would be Jürgen Klopp. I think he's an incredible leader—someone with strong values, great character and a real ability to inspire people. He's definitely up there for me.

What are you mostly looking forward to this year?

I think working more in the south west right now, I've got a lot of events in Cornwall and Devon so I'm going to be still working lots in London but I'm really happy to be working more in the west country this year so that's exciting.

What's a great piece of jewellery would be on your birthday list?

I absolutely love rings. I like wearing a few bits all the time, and I just love the Ortigia blue topaz ring. It looks like the ocean sparkling, and I just think I'd wear it all the time!