Cupid delivers Valentine's shot in the arm for Black Country economy

Romantic Black Country folk are besieging florists and balloon makers for business, with some leaving it to the last minute to get that all important gift for the big day.

Many pubs and restaurants are booked up already, leaving those who have not thought ahead scrambling for a table for two tonight.

Peter Towler, owner of Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory in Tipton, said: "We have been totally booked out for Valentine's Night for a while now. We will not be accepting walk-ins because every table is booked.

"Every year is the same, a pie at Valentine's is a tradition for many couples and it seems to have got bigger and bigger every year.

"We've added five new luxury rooms in our hotel now so people can actually book a meal and room and have a unique romantic getaway in Tipton."

Those who cannot find a table at a restaurant will be able to walk in to The Sunbeam in the Wolverhampton without booking.

The town centre pub ran a competition for a meal for two on Valentine's Day on its Facebook page which saw hundreds of people enter in the hope of a free treat for their loved one.

Manager Nat Brown told the Express & Star: "We had a lot of people enter the competition and the winner was absolutely delighted.

"Valentine's Day is great because it the first big event of the year and gets people through the door. We have several bookings for the day but almost all our custom is walk-in, so if it is like any other year we will be seeing lots of couples come through the doors."

She added: "We don't have a special Valentine's Day menu but we are running our Tuesday Big Plate Specials which are popular. If people have left it to the last minute and can't find a table then we will welcome them with open arms."

Due to the ever increasing hype, Valentine's Day is only behind Christmas, Easter and Halloween for designated days in the year, and many who have adhered to Dry January use it as an excuse for their first alcoholic drink of the year.

Florists are often the busiest people on the run-up to Valentine's Day and this year is no different.

Dawn Southall-Anderson, owner of Flowers in the City, in Queen Street, Wolverhampton, said: "We are so busy around Valentine's Day, we have all been working so hard and will be open on the day for those who left it to the last minute.

"It has been all the harder this year because we are in the process of moving, after 28 years we are moving from Queen Street to the Penn Road.

"We probably should have picked another week to move than Valentine's."

However, in the run up to this Valentine's Day prices of some flowers have almost tripled in cost, especially the staple of many bouquets and tributes the chrysanthemum.

Dawn said: "This seemingly insignificant little bloom is currently the cause of much stress, anguish and worry throughout the florist community.

"In the last few weeks, the cost price of this flower has increased by over 50 per cent. It has more than doubled, almost tripled in the last year and it is increasing every day. The chrysanthemum, traditionally known as a ‘cheap’ flower, is currently far out-pricing premium flowers such as roses, lily and lisianthus (which have also doubled in price recently).

"Due to the rising energy costs some growers have gone out of business. Some growers have turned off their hot houses halting production and those remaining few have had to pass their rising overheads on to us, their customers.

"We tried to keep our prices steady for as long as possible but in the face of it, we have no option but to raise them significantly otherwise we simply won’t have a viable business ourselves."