If you have a love for flowers and a love for dogs then you've probably heard of Nikki Tibbles. Nikki owns an award winning luxury florist as well as running the charity Wild at Heart Foundation, helping dogs all around the world. We caught up with Nikki to find out more about her business and charity, read our Q&A below.
- You must be a very busy woman, how do you keep up with it all? Long days, and working with people I trust. I work with two incredible teams at Wild at Heart and Wild at Heart Foundation.
- Tell us a little bit about the Wild at Heart Foundation... Wild at Heart Foundation believe in dog. We believe that a dog can lift our mood, change our day, keep us active and transform a house into a home. They are our fierce protectors, guard us and perform heroic feats. They offer freely what humans can spend a lifetime learning, which is to love unconditionally. They save our lives in many ways. This is why Wild at Heart Foundation wants to end the suffering of these amazing creatures.
- How did it begin? I had a beautiful dog called Rosie, who came from Puerto Rico. When she died, I promised her I would return to Puerto Rico and rescue more dogs. When you google stray dogs abroad, you unleash the gates of Hell. The only way we can stop this is by high volume sterilization clinics, rehoming and education. I wanted to get to the root of the problem and compassionately reduce the world’s 600 million stray dog population. The difference between Wild at Heart Foundation and other charities is that we work alongside shelters and partners globally to collaborate on sterilization clinics and rehoming stray dogs.
- How many dogs have you helped? We have rehomed almost 2,000 dogs, sterilized tens of thousands of dogs and educated tens of thousands of children globally. We now have an education programme that is about to launch in the UK.
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How many dogs do you have yourself? I have four dogs - Lenny, Ronnie, Ruby & Rita.
- What can people do to help? Donate - every penny goes directly to helping dogs all over the world, adopt a dog, raise awareness, raise funds for us, and offer to volunteer.
- Your flower arrangements are stunning! When did you find your passion? I did the flowers for a friend's wedding and it fired up my passion and love for flowers. I quit my job in advertising and applied to be an apprentice for a South London florist before setting up my own small studio. This then grew organically into Wild at Heart.
- What’s been your favourite creation? Creating a garden for the Chelsea Flower Show last March, which sadly never happened due to the pandemic!
- If you were creating a table centrepiece at home, what’s your go to flowers and stems? Something seasonal and colourful. Lovely blossom and magnolia branches make huge statement pieces and look beautiful displayed in bud vases on the table.
- If you could be a flower what would you be and why? A peony or a garden rose because they are so quintessentially English and generous, colourful, fragrant and beautiful.
Quick-fire questions:
- Favourite flower: Peony
- Favourite food: Avocado
- Favourite drink: Negroni
- 3 things you can’t leave your house without: Sunglasses, dogs and car keys
- 3 people (past or present) you’d love to invite over for dinner: Charles Darwin, Cillian Murphy, Gandhi
Donations from all who support us truly makes a difference, if you’d like to support Wild at heart Foundation and the work we do, please donate today - Wild At Heart Foundation.