Please say “Hello” to Olenia Smart. Olenia & her husband Chris have lived in what is thought to be the former bakery for Bloomfield Crescent for 8 happy years. Growing up in a rural setting Olenia has embraced city living in Bath with its access to theatre, restaurants and our beautiful Georgian architecture. While she misses the countryside & biodynamic farms of her former home in Sussex this is offset by a vibrant, culturally rich environment alongside a community of like-minded people who care about sustainability. Olenia was born in Poland where she was raised with the traditional values of living off the land and preserving food seasonally. The values she learned there have deeply influenced the person she is today. She completed her A levels in Poland then went on to study Environmental Science in Germany where she lived for 10 years before coming to the UK. She taught Mathematics in Sussex for 25 years then, on a night out in London, met her future husband Chris. The decision to follow Chris to Bath was easy as she fell in love with him and our city. Here in Bath she taught locally at Beechen Cliff school. Olenia’s mother still lives in Poland, her daughter in Berlin and her 4 stepsons live al over the world! She is a keen cyclist and enthusiastic yogi. She has travelled to India to deepen her understanding of the of yoga philosophy. In her spare time she volunteers for The Green Party as environmental protection is close to her heart and enjoys foraging for rosehips and elderberries with friends. What makes Olenia unique is that, with hard work & determination, she left a career in teaching behind to follow her passion creating a small business around it. Bloomfield Botanicals produces beautifully packaged elderberry based wellness products. She makes syrups and other preparations designed to support the immune system particularly in the cold & flu season. She sells her products at the Bath Farmers’ Market, the Frome Garden shop and Harvest Wholefoods here in Bath. She also has individual customers who order through her website bloomfieldbotanicals.co.uk. She is now in her second year and is enjoying some success. She has moved from market based business to supplying local shops . She has expanded her range so that customers can chose products which suit their preferences be it syrup, cordial or other preparations. The business has expanded locally through word of mouth as clients have discovered that taking a small dose of elderflower daily can be excellent prevention. So Olenia is living the dream but it didn’t just happen. She learned much from her Polish Grandmother who made tinctures from a range of substances from stinging nettles to amber stone. Grandmother took her tinctures daily treating such diverse conditions as arthritis, heart disease and sleepiness. These memories coupled with Olenia’s knowledge of tradition food preservation techniques and her studies in environmental science set out a path that brings together wellness, sustainability and traditional knowledge. To deepen her understanding Olenia took courses in herbalism and attended seminars about plants and their various healing powers. This, combined with her Polish heritage of food preservation and with her environmental science background, created an excellent base for her business. She started small selling at the Farmers Market while still teaching part-time. Her work brings everything together: her connection to nature, her yoga practice, and her environmental values which, combined, gives her a sense of purpose and drives her success. Her desire is to be as ethical as possible by sourcing the best possible ingredients such as organic German Sambucus Niger Elderberries which are renown for their richness & quality, local honey, and all other organic ingredients locally from Harvest. She is tapping into the increasing understanding that the food we eat affects our health and where & how it is produced impacts our environment. Coming from a holistic educational background where science is examined from different angles she is open to exploring alternatives. She firmly believes in prevention, in working with nature rather than against it and building community through cycling on Bloomfield Road, gathering rosehips with friends or coming together for drinks. She would urge us to make choices which protect the environment through small actions such as cycling or walking rather than driving or choosing locally-sourced organic food and products. So, if you are walking or cycling along Bloomfield Road & happen to bump into Olenia please say “Hello” to One Amazing Neighbour.