Return Journey Collection was established by Yvonne Oakes in the early 1990s. Some of you may remember coming across the very first plate depicting Ruislip which was launched in 1991. This was to become the first of many produced by Yvonne over the next few years. It was a project she was passionate about and from that point, through speaking to local people and having contact with many community organisations, around 60 plate designs were produced over a period of approximately ten years.
Since that first plate appeared, Return Journey Collection has gone on to become a business that has spanned three generations. In 2008, Yvonne decided to take a rest from selling the plates (which she had done primarily at the Pavilions Craft Market in Uxbridge) and enjoyed a well-earned retirement in Chertsey. From that point onwards, although they were not advertised, people have always managed to get in touch to order products by tracking down phone numbers or addresses. These have been available through Yvonne’s son Michael, an architect who himself illustrated the majority of the artwork seen on the products and always considered researching and illustrating the local towns and villages a labour of love. Alongside his full-time job, he valued the opportunity to meet the variety of people who took an interest in these plates over the years.