November Wrap Up
08 May 2025
My Wrap Up for November 2024
The silly season is HERE, and I love love love this time of the year that has been amplified with the four grandees who decorate my life. And this year, Christmas is at ours, so our home will overflow with special memories and squeals of delight on Christmas day.
Project Mammogram Event
What a special moment to be able to support the wonderful Mike Brown and his team for a second time. This time, the event was in Whitianga, targeted to complete their mission to secure a 3D mammogram machine for the Coromandel Coast.
Another very special evening with lots of delightful ladies, MC’d by the incorrigible Michele A ‘Court. Supporting local communities to achieve their health and wellness goals is an absolute passion project of mine. Thank you, Mike, for the wonderful vision you have had.
Ryman Christmas Delight
Monday, the 25th of November, was another special day where we spent time at the Ryman Hilda Ross Village in Hamilton, sharing a little Christmas cheer, with a small fashion parade of our frocks beautifully worn by the village residents. This was followed by a short presentation from chef Allyson Gofton (also a team member working in our Cambridge store) where she talked to some small wellness cooking hacks for those advancing in years.
True Colours Melbourne Cup Race Day Event
Cynthia Ward and True Colours, a trust I have been involved in for over 20 years, are an inspiration to us all. It is an absolute privilege to provide them with the home that they operate from each day, doing their incredible work with children who have chronic and life-threatening illnesses. To attend and support their long lunch each year is extremely special. This year, they raised an outstanding $150,000—a true testimony to the work they do and the mana they hold within the Waikato community.
Peonies from Heaven from Lee Anne
With November being peonies month, we could not think of a better person than our fabulous customer Lee Anne to celebrate this with. Lee Anne’s blog is up on our website, and we promise to keep including the wonderful peony flower in our fashion collections.
Meet the Gorgeous Trewyn
How special is the gorgeous Trewyn, who agreed to model our frocks with our velvet cushions in one of the care suites at Ryman’s Hilda Ross Village? We believe that these gorgeous cushions make a perfect gift option for the de-cluttering flower addict in your life.
RAW at AWRCF and Christchurch Women’s Prisons
RAW has been hugely active this month. We spent another Sunday in Auckland Women’s Prison with five of our RAW women, where we connected with over 35 women inside, encouraging them to make stronger and more positive pro-social connections upon their release. A conversation that becomes a lot more relevant and attainable when delivered by lived-experience women.
We also visited the Christchurch prison, where we took four RAW women to connect with 30 women in the therapeutic unit to share their stories of lived-experience success, demonstrating the diversity of success that attaches to a pro-social lifestyle.
Golf Collection 2025
Exciting news!!! Just quietly, I am working on a small (highly floral) golf collection with the wonderful Kay Gregory, due out mid next year, so I will keep you posted.
Christmas Gift Ideas
And my pick for the hard-to-buy-for or those that are wanting to declutter their lives is Annah Stretton rose wine in our gorgeous angelified gift bag.
Or a gorgeous and so, so affordable Annah Stretton cushion that gives the gift of flowers all year round.
Quick pics of the Grandee’s
Acknowledging Those Who Enable Me
This has been another wonderful year of highs and lows. There have been so many people that have empowered vision in 2024: the team, my beautiful daughter Sami, my mum, and my partner Tony. I acknowledge and thank them all as we race towards our busy summer season.
Annah xx
Tags:
