Nottinghamshire’s largest independent funeral directors, A.W Lymn The Family Funeral Service, has adapted operations following the recent shortage of fresh flower supplies throughout the UK caused by Brexit to ensure families still receive their chosen blooms.
First established in 1999, City Flowers is A.W. Lymn’s in-house florist, supplying the highest quality floral arrangements for all 27 of the fifth generation family business’s funeral homes across Nottinghamshire and South Derbyshire. The florist is renowned for its fresh flower service, offering next day delivery for funeral and sympathy tributes.
Over the busy festive period, the supply of flowers into the UK ground to a halt as borders closed. A combination of COVID-19 restrictions and delays due to Brexit meant City Flowers’ source of blooms from Holland was suspended.
Despite the cut of supply, City Flowers managed to source fresh flowers from its local supplier to ensure customers who had placed orders between 30th of December and the 5th of January received their tributes with only minor substitutions.
City Flowers has now placed a three-day notice on all floral tributes as the shortage of flower supplies paired with the increased number of deaths due to COVID-19 requires new ways of working.
Kerry Bishop, Florist Manager at City Flowers, said: “I’ve worked for the business for 15 years and I’ve never experienced a disruption to supply like that before. We work closely with each customer to fulfil their personal requests and you do not want to let anyone down. We really pride ourselves on sourcing fresh flowers that last a long time for families, so we made sure we did everything we could to maintain this service even if it meant a few substitutes to the flowers had to be made.”
When it comes to requests, City Flowers can turn its hand to almost anything, with some intricate displays, such as airplanes and letterboxes, taking an entire day to prepare. Yet Kerry described 2020 as a quiet year for experimental blooms.
She said: “This is a difficult time for everyone and we’re all having to adapt the ways in which we work. With fears that it may happen again, we are preparing all we can to ensure we can continue to provide our tailored service many families treasure.”
Nigel Lymn Rose, Company Chairman at A.W. Lymn, said: “Funerals are always an incredibly difficult time for families but it is even worse with the restrictions in place during this pandemic. As a family run company, we ensure we provide only the very best service possible and thereby give our bereaved clients the perfect floral arrangements, even when faced with such challenges. We are extremely proud of Kerry and Jo, our in-house florists, who have responded brilliantly to the current circumstances to ensure that we continue to deliver a personal, tailored experience to all families we serve.”
The post A.W. Lymn React to Brexit Fresh Flower Shortage first appeared on Connect East Midlands.