Press clippings

We are grateful to the below publications spreading the word on issues we care about, and our story:

• The Transformative Art of Foraging
  Words: Amy Gibbs
  November 2019 edition. Issue 3 - The Slow Journal - ’Let them Roam’

  
  “The earth laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  
  There is something transcendental about flowers. The way they lift a room. The scent. The pleasantness they bring to spaces and celebrations. The moments of pause that they create and the way they reconnect us to nature. Ali Shillington, founder of Lokale Blumen (meaning: local flowers), has always immersed herself in nature and flowers but it was when she sought to turn her passion into a business that she was confronted with the huge environmental toll of conventional floristry. Bunches of blooms wrapped in single use plastic, to be unwrapped and re-wrapped in more plastic. Imported flowers carrying nasty air miles and a lack of labelling in the industry to show a given blooms country of origin.

  When SLOW spoke to Ali she had just returned from the Global Climate Strike in Sydney, alongside 7.6 million people globally who took to the streets. “We are all worried about our planet and that the beauty we enjoy in nature won't be there for future generations. Is it is so important to act now and make changes”.
  
  www.theslowjournal.com
  

• February 2020 edition. Virgin Australia Magazine. Found in Flinders
  Words: Max Brearley
  
  It’s wild, it’s remote and it’s home to fewer than 1000 souls – so what is it about Flinders Island that exerts such a pull? We meet some of the people who have been drawn into its orbit.
  
  Sydney-based floral artist Ali Shillington says Flinders Island helped distil her thoughts on how to take her Lokale Blumen enterprise forward. “I’m driven by sustainability, reminding people about nature in spaces,” she says. “Flinders was perfect in terms of being able to demonstrate what I can do. Florists in a city often follow trends, driven by the taste of the client rather than thinking about where you are and what’s available. I never wanted to be a florist with a shop or anything; I always wanted to be an artist. Being on Flinders helped that come to life.”

  Shillington worked with Youl on pieces for The Wharf and the Food and Crayfish Festival with renowned artist and zero-waste pioneer Joost Bakker. The concept: to forage from the island, engaging the community. Sophie Pitchford, who grows organic purple garlic at Brymworth Farm, donated her allium flowers. In turn, Shillington says “the ladies of the Country Women’s Association sacrificed all theirs, too”.

  Back in Sydney, Shillington’s mind is never too far away from Flinders. A collaboration with Youl, the Flinders Island Wild Weekend runs over two weekends in March. It’s a bespoke, retreat-like celebration of the island’s food, drink and nature. “There’s a whole lot of love about being on the edge, and on an island,” Shillington says. “You’re at the mercy of what’s happening between land and sea ... I love the spontaneity of being at the mercy of the elements. That’s Flinders.”
  
  www.virginaustraliamagazine.com

• April 2020 - Eat Well, Travel Often.
  Bread and Butter podcast by Shannon Gordon
  EPISODE 2: THE FLINDERS ISLAND WILD WEEKEND WITH ALISON SHILLINGTON

  “There’s life before Flinders, and life after Flinders.”I chat to Ali Shillington, host of the Flinders Island Wild Weekend. Flinders is located in the Bass Strait off Tasmania and is raw, rugged and remote. With a passion for reconnecting people with nature, Ali has created a truly unique getaway – where you can escape the rat race and discover the wild heart of this untamed island. A shout out to our food producers and food tourism industry in Australia - Visit The Flinders Island Wild Weekend episode link

• October 2020 - Lokale Blumen’s Flinders Island
  Blog post by Natalie Mendham
  Ali makes an art of crafting local blooms, foliage, branches, and whole wind-fallen limbs of trees into incredible large scale hanging clouds, meaningful tablescapes and stunning vignettes. She teaches her skills generously, and opens space for her guests to share their knowledge and passion with the gathering - Visit the full article on the blog