Karma Yoga

Summer 2022 the Tower of London put on a display of wild flowers in the moat called “Superbloom” to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and advertised for volunteers. I signed up with a couple of friends I had made from volunteering at a local vaccination centre during Covid. Wild flower seeds were sown and we all waited to see how the display would emerge. Unfortunately, the flowers were not great because of the lack of rain in 2022…. Gosh that’s hard to remember when this year has recently been so wet!!!! There were lots of visitors and we were kept very busy answering everyone’s questions (the most common being “Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?” Followed by “Where do the boats go from?”)

The experience was amazing and when they asked for volunteers again this summer I replied with a resounding “yes” However it wasn’t so much fun this year – sometimes quite boring due to lack of visitors to the moat even though the display of flowers was better than last year in the early summer. We volunteers persevered spending the quiet times telling one another our life stories.

We thought that we’d finish like last year at the end of September but they’ve managed to get extra funding and we can now volunteer all year round and we’re no longer in the moat but in the Tower itself which is such a privilege. You can palpably feel the history all around you.

I’ve been on duty in the Beauchamp Tower, on the Middle Drawbridge, in the Mediaeval Tower and on the Causeway. I’m gradually learning more and more about the history.

We had 14 “ghosts” walking round during half term including Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh and Lady Jane Grey. There were wonderful Halloween displays of pumpkins and witches with cauldrons.

Shortly we’ll be preparing for Christmas .

The Tower has a new initiative and anyone receiving Universal Credit can gain admission for £1 with up to 6 members of their family circle also paying £1 each. I’ve already been able to pass this info on to a neighbour who has booked for herself and her son on December 22nd. Booking is on their website.

So volunteering is part of my Karma Yoga and I had no expectation of any reward but I now have my own pass enabling me to visit the Tower for free whenever I choose.

Lucky lucky me!!!!

Ally Francis, YHET Trustee