Oldbury florist leaving bouquets around Black Country to brighten people's day

Amanda Meese, who runs Amanda's Flowers in Oldbury, has left flowers in car parks, bus stops, and nurseries across the region to bring a smile to people's faces.

She believes she has gifted around 20 bouquets now after being inspired by International Lonely Bouquet Day, leaving hints and clues on her Facebook page as to their whereabouts.

The 44-year-old said: "I've always wanted to do Lonely Bouquet Day, and this year there's been so much sadness with Covid, so I thought why not now?

"Every month or so I get this urge - everyone needs cheering up, everyone deserves a bouquet of flowers.

"It's so heart-warming, because someone could have had a rubbish day at work and it might have made their day."

Lonely Bouquet Day was the trigger for Ms Meese, but since then she has hidden gorgeous floral arrangements around the Black Country on several occasions.

So far, she has left flowers in areas including Oldbury, West Bromwich, Black Heath, Rowley Regis, Bearwood, and Smethwick.

And sometimes she even goes outside her store and hands out bouquets to people passing by, in the hope of making their day happier.

The Bilston-born florist has been overwhelmed by the response. She said: "I've had some heart-warming comments.

"One man was walking to the shops while the district nurse visited his brother, and he found a bouquet.

"He thought someone had just left them behind, but he read the note and took them home.

"Not only did it brighten his and his brother's day, but they gave it to the district nurse, whose day was brightened too."

The man who found the "magnificent" bouquet sent Ms Meese an email, saying: "It is the small acts of human kindness that put a smile on your face, that remind us to all try and be better people ourselves. Keep up the great work."

One woman who found a bouquet has placed it next to a photo of her late mother-in-law, and another lucky person gave them to her parents.

Vicky Hamilton also claimed one, and said: "I’m one of the lucky finders. Thank you so much. Have had a rubbish week and they really have brightened my day."

Around 25,000 people have now seen Amanda Meese's Facebook post about her acts of kindness and applauded her generosity.

Ms Meese is a third-generation florist who was brought up into the trade, helping out at her parents' florist after school before eventually setting up her own shop on Langley High Street in Oldbury in November 2009.

She's now on her 13th Christmas, and has already spread the festive spirit around her store with a themed display in the front window, complete with decorative snow flakes, reindeer, and polar bears.

The florist - whose favourite flowers are lilies – is now taking Christmas orders for gift bouquets, table arrangements, posies, crematorium pots, and oasis sprays.

Artificial Christmas wreathes are already available, but fresh holly wreaths will also be on sale from the beginning of December on a first-come first-served basis.

It's clear to see that flowers are Ms Meese's life-long passion. She said: "My passion for flowers started from a very young age. I was born into the trade, myself being the third generation.

"At a young age if I wasn't in my mum's florist shops, I was working at my dad's flower market stalls all over the West Midlands.

"Over the years I've gained a wealth of experience and knowledge. There is nothing I don't know about flowers and nothing I can't do with them.

"Flowers are my passion. Day in day out I absolutely love my job and I love that my customers love what I do."