Rosalind Stopps

Rosaline Stopps - Waterer and canvasser since 2014

Rosalind Stopps has been a Street Trees for Living Enthusiast from the start, spreading the word whenever she can and watering trees whenever she’s asked. New street trees are thriving all over Lewisham thanks to her – and one in Portmeirion in Wales, a magnolia planted over thirty years ago in memory of her stillborn daughter.

“I myself was born and bred in Vauxhall, so didn’t fall far from the tree – so to speak - when I moved to Brockley. That was 1981. I brought up my family here in the shadow of huge limes. They swish in the wind in front of my house all the time, almost unnoticed. Every year they drop thousands of seeds which drift down under whirling blades. The blades are little twists of leaf. They break the fall of each seed on the road below.”

Rosalind has always had strong opinions about the world. These find clear expression in her life. Her views have shaped her career, which began when she worked in a home in Brockley for young single mothers and their babies. Then she worked for Lewisham Portage Service, working with very young children with disabilities and their families.

Rosalind has always believed in community action, whether for political or social reasons. This has helped her to be effective when knocking on doors or asking people in the street if they’d like to water young trees or get involved with us in any way. Street Trees for Living grew from such activity. It's still an essential part of what our Street Reps do.

From early childhood Rosalind has been a storyteller. She usually writes nowadays about the people and places of her neighbourhood in Brockley. Her novels are in good bookshops including Crofton Books in Brockley - and also on Amazon. They feature strong-minded funny women who make a difference. One of her plots hinges on our website’s online map of trees in Lewisham! She is currently working on her third novel.