THOUSANDS OF BOUQUETS ARE SET TO FLOOD THE STREETS OF THE UK TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL FLOWER ARRANGING DAY.
LONELY BOUQUETS – CREATED BY MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FLOWER ARRANGEMENT SOCIETIES – ARE ANNUALLY LEFT AROUND THE COUNTRY ON 5 MAY, WHICH FINDERS CAN PICK UP AND TAKE HOME FOR FREE.
And this year there will be even more arrangements than ever before, as the Women’s Institute joins forces with NAFAS to mark the special day.
NAFAS has around 60,000 members across the UK, while around 200,000 people are part of the WI – meaning there could be tens of thousands of free flowers for people to take home.
The aim of the Lonely Bouquets is to make people smile, with the only “repayment” for finders is to post pictures on the NAFAS social media pages, highlighting the flowers and where they found them.
In previous years bouquets have been left at landmarks around the country, including on the steps of 10 Downing Street but are equally likely to be found everywhere from park benches to car parks.
And the hope is that once again people will look out for the bunches of flowers and join in with the spirit of the day.
Former florist of the year and NAFAS member, Simon Lycett, is usually one of the first people to leave a Lonely Bouquet, as he makes an early morning visit to Covent Garden flower market.
“I am passionate about The Lonely Bouquet campaign,” he said.
“It is kindness that helped my career take off in the first place and I firmly believe in repaying that kindness. I am always ready to help NAFAS in every way I can to promote this fabulous goodwill between strangers.
“With a Lonely Bouquet, you can help spread the love back. We’re not saving lives, but we can take off the rough edges and put some joy into others’ lives with this thoughtful floral gesture.”
Anyone who finds a Lonely Bouquet is asked to post a picture on Facebook at Nafas_flowers, @nafas_flowers on twitter or nafas_flowerarrangers on Instagram and use the hashtags #nafaslonelybouquet and #wilonelybouquet.
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