A CO-OP staff member at the Drakewalls store is brightening up everyone’s day by creating unique gifts from unsold flowers that would have otherwise been thrown away.

After she has done her day job as a store assistant at the busy supermarket Sarah White goes home with bunches of perfectly good flowers which had been destined for the bin and makes arrangements in jam jars, recycled food containers, vases and other glassware all donated by staff and customers.

Sarah then adds in foliage from the hedgerow and from her garden and her neighbours gardens, ribbon and other floristry ingredients like oasis to keep the flowers in position.

The novice florist has now made more than 500 arrangements since September last year and donations have amounted to well over £1,000 for the charity MIND.

Store manager Barbara Worth said Sarah was amazing: ‘Sarah spends so much time making these flower arrangements. They are really good and she is now even taking orders. She makes as many as eight a day, when we have the flowers available, and she does it all in her own time at home.

‘There is no stopping her. At Christmas she made £500 with her displays, they are so popular.’

Sarah said although she liked being creative she had never tried flower arranging before but had got quite addicted: ‘I have been raiding the garden and my neighbours have been happy to let me in there’s and “prune some of their bushes”,’ she said.

‘My husband even bought me some new secateurs for Valentine’s Day!’

Her fellow Co-op staff have been joining in foraging the hedgerows to embellish Sarah’s creations.

Sarah has accumulated glassware from the free online sites and is getting creative with her choice of container.

‘I have used wine glasses and even a Coleman’s sauce pot,’ she said.

‘The flowers that we can no longer sell have several days more of life in them so it’s a good way to make the most of them.

‘It makes people smile and that is what I like.’

Since September the Co-op store has raised £7,200 for MIND through its summer fayre, sponsored walks, raffle, book sale and floral displays and is the top fundraiser in its group of stores.It has now shifted its fundraising to supported Ukraine for the time being.

Six colleagues from the store are doing a skydive on May 15. Please visit the store if you would like to sponsor or donate.