Flowers To Be Remembered

Aim

To provide families struggling with funeral costs, low cost funeral arrangements and reduce the flower waste of local retailers.

In April 2019 we opened Les Fleurs, a bustling traditional flower shop providing for all occasions. As we've settled into the town who have welcomed us and been incredibly kind to us as a new business, we've decided to begin our plan a little early.

Flowers for All. Flowers to Be Remembered.

It was always our aim to use our flower shop to give something back to the people of Halstead. It was only when a month into running our new shop was a solid idea planted into our heads. A group of carers had pooled together what they could in order to buy a funeral tribute in the shape of a tractor. They explained that this gentlemen had no living relatives and was adored by his carers. One made the comment that whilst they didn't have much to give they 'just want him to have something'. We reduced the cost of that arrangement in order to give them the comfort of knowing he would have a fitting tribute. 

Reducing Waste in my Industry

Having been in the industry since my early teens I, now a Senior Florist and Owner, know the constant waste of flower retailers, from small florist shops to the largest of supermarkets flowers are constantly discarded for being 'too open' 'too soft' 'not perfect'. It's with these flowers that usually go straight to landfill that I hope to create beautiful, low-cost to free funeral tributes. As well as creating arrangements for the local Care Homes to enjoy. 

The rising costs of Funerals

I am, unfortunately, well aware of the high costs of funerals. In 2016 I buried my father who died without a funeral plan or life insurance in place and it was only thanks to the kindness of friends, family and our local priest that he got the send off he deserved. I want to help families in that same position have one less thing to worry about. 

Helping Teens Explore Vocational Skills

As well as our low cost funeral arrangements and arrangements for care homes we also want to provide a productive space for teens who like myself struggle in a school environment. Giving them an opportunity to explore a vocational skill outside of school. Floristry gave me space to breath. Knowing I could go forward in a thriving industry even without passing every exam I sat took the pressure and stress off and instead of leaving school with the predicted 3 GCSEs A-C I ended up with 7, surpassing both my teachers and my own expectations. 

Now at 23 I run my own business and am constantly striving to make my community better. Schools have limited funding for vocational programs, I believe it's my responsibility as a business owner to step up and help them show their kids that there's other avenues in life that may suit them, that if they fail one or two exams they can still be successful in life. I hope to get other businesses involved with this side of the project in order to show the wide variety of vocational skills important to small towns like ours.  

How you can help us!

By donating to our cause you'll be helping us raise the necessary inventory to run a project like this, whilst we can get plenty of wasted flowers for next to nothing the sundries needed to create funeral designs will need to be purchased. Our overheads will rise by undertaking a project like this and since our plan is to implement a 'pay what you can' policy for low income families looking for funeral tributes, we won't be able to afford those increasing costs without donations from kind hearted people. We want to make as many people in our service radius aware of this project so they can access it when they need to, to do this we'll need funds to publicise the project through local funeral directors with promotional materials.  We'll need containers for our Care home arrangements and whilst many suppliers will donate to us we'd like to offer small businesses a small amount for their goods so they don't make an outright loss. Supporting businesses in the community is just as important as businesses supporting the community. 

Donate what you can, we're so grateful for your time. 

This project is in memoriam of William John Hoar, a wonderful Father and a man who felt life was not fulfilled by success but by giving to those without, an ethos he instilled in many. 

This project closed unsuccessfully on 11th February 2020