George Eliot is a Street Rep…. He was born George Iliev in Bulgaria a few years before the Wall came down. It becomes clear that George is an intellectually curious and cosmopolitan person. He has had homes in Bulgaria, China, the US, Hong Kong – and now the UK. He lives in London, noticing and loving its interconnectedness, the way the city seems to be a melting pot of class, ethnicity and culture.

Raj Joneja seems to overflow with ideas. They just keep coming, whether I’m asking him about community film screenings, how to attract interest in a running club, jazz appreciation, brewing beer, or the importance of libraries. He has been a trustee of Street Trees for Living for several years.

Eva is Tree Guardian for a long row of trees in Elsinore Road. Luckily, it’s next to Kilmorie Primary School, one of a dozen or so schools in the STfL’s School Trees Project. She explains, “At our school each year-group adopted a particular tree and gave it a name. Desmond Tutu once lived nearby, so we have our ‘Tutu tree’, ‘Groot’ (from the Marvel film Galaxy of the Guardians, ta-da!) ‘Barko Blossom’, ‘Woody’, and ‘Lady Butterfrog’. The children help to water their trees for the crucial first two years from planting.”

Marie-Claire was one of the charity’s first volunteers. She was part of the growth of the STfL project even before it had the name.

I asked Oli what he had learned so far during his very short time working with STfL. “Yeah, it still feels new. The whole concept of being able to get street trees is cool. Communities influencing their roads so fundamentally is great.

Caroline Buckland contacted STfL about volunteering having noticed the newly planted STfL trees during lockdown walks. She's been an Area Rep in Brockley ever since.