Shoes, handbags and London buses on my tissue collection

Alexandra Lewis lives in South London and works in marketing and communications at Aon Benfield. A collector of quirkily decorated tissue and toilet roll products, she recently went on holiday to visit Cuba where she found that toilet tissues were often in short supply, and found that carrying her own pack of tissues came in handy.

I am particularly fond of napkins and have been collecting intriguingly designed ones from bars and restaurants for nearly twenty years! My latest was from Poppies, a 50s style fish and chip shop in Spitalfields. I asked the waitress for a napkin to which she looked down at my lap with disdain and said: “You already have one” – obviously not grasping the need for a fresh one for my collection! On a day to day basis, I don’t leave the house without a handy pack of tissues and have recently become increasingly excited about the range of patterned kitchen roll. The cupcake design has meant I now have it on display rather than hidden in a cupboard.

I am largely influenced by design and cost so will look out for special deals and jazzy patterns over particular brands when I’m shopping at the local supermarket. One of my best tissue purchases was a toilet roll covered in hearts for my brother and sister-inlaw’s wedding. Equally I was delighted to receive two packs of tissues for my birthday – one adorned with shoes and handbags, the other decorated with London buses!

However, whereas I am a passionate recycler of paper, purchasing products with green certifications has never been a major driver – but perhaps it will be so from now on!

A recent adventure to Cuba proved why my handy pack tissues are so important! I took an abundance with me as I heard – correctly – that toilet paper was in short supply. Also, while I was hoping to replenish my napkin collection, these were quite flimsy and not branded – not a priority in a communist nation!