Business is booming on Lorraine Fox’s barge. Alexa Phillips hears why ministers are using her to encourage self-employment.
LORRAINE Fox is perched at the entrance to her barge, prepared, in her heavy-duty boilersuit, for whatever the elements have to throw at her.
The steam rising from her mug of tea mingles with the woodsmoke wafting from the small stove, the only source of heat on the boat.
“It can get cold, and it was very dingy in here at first,” she says. “But, with the help of my friends, I’ve made it cosy. Some students from my old art college painted the woodwork, I made these cushions, and a friend gave me these tiles when she redecorated her bathroom.”
Transformation
Lorraine, a single mother of four, has gradually transformed the run-down barge into a business. Greenfinch of Foxhangers, or The Sandwich Barge as it is affectionately known, sells soup, sandwiches and cakes to passers-by, and chandlery equipment to boaters on the Regent’s Canal.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing. British Waterways granted Lorraine a three week trial period in City Basin, during which she sold home-made food to dog-walkers, office workers and cyclists. “I felt like a guinea-pig. I was told that because I had proved it could be successful, they were putting the mooring up for tender. I couldn’t afford to bid against others for the spot.”
Chandlery and organic food
Now, she travels the length of London’s canal network with her supply of chandlery and organic food, cycling home every night to her children, who attend after-school clubs during the week.
“I started in Victoria Park on November 7, which was the night of the big Bonfire Night display and my birthday. Since then, I’ve travelled from Tottenham to Springfields, and, after doing some maintenance, my next stop is Camden. People on the towpath are really nice – they’re often curious as to how you can live on the boat. They ask how do you get water? Do you have a bathroom?
“Sense of community”
“And there’s a great sense of community with other boaters. People have been really positive about the sandwich barge idea – I think it’s the novelty.”
The novelty – and Lorraine’s evident devotion to her business, and her desire to make it a success against the odds. She points to a cupboard. “I saved this wood from a skip. I couldn’t get it out quickly enough. They were pouring rubbish all over it, and it’s beautiful cedar. And this table – that was just on the side of the road.”
Tragedy
Lorraine’s personal philosophy of reusing materials and sourcing sustainable food comes directly from her own life experience. “I became a widow at the age of 22. My husband killed himself, leaving me with two children under three. I became very resourceful – I had to be. I didn’t throw anything away. I think I lost five years of my life scraping to bring up my children in the best way possible. I am still very aware of the things that I use, and how they can be re-used.
“But I couldn’t have done it without my friends. I help them, by looking after their kids, and they help me out with the maintenance. A friend of mine knew a Russian carpenter who wasn’t eating properly, so I used to feed him and he did all of the woodwork. He told me that cedar is a sacred wood in Russia.”
Perseverance and success
Lorraine’s perseverance has led to the creation of a successful business, and, less predictably, a starring role in a film promoting self-employment for the Department for Work and Pensions.
While her business plan may not be the most conventional, the tenacity and drive with which she has made it work makes her an example worth following.
Image credit – Alexa Philips
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