A FOREST flower grower marked three events with a unique “pay by the mile” offer to highlight just how far some blooms may have travelled.

Jo Thompson, who runs the Wye Valley Flowers flower farm at St Briavels, sold £20 bouquets for £1 for each mile they had travelled.

The innovative promotion aimed to highlight the environmental benefits of choosing locally grown flowers to celebrate British Flowers Week, National Florist Day and the Big Green Week

“The average shop bouquet travels over 4,000 miles," says Jo Thompson, citing research by Mike Berners-Lee in his carbon foot printing book ‘How Bad are My Bananas’. 

“We want to show people that there's a sustainable alternative right here in their community."

Wye Valley Flowers, a member of Flowers from the Farm, grows its blooms on less than an acre in St Briavels, using sustainable practices such as no pesticides, no plastic wrapping, and rainwater harvesting. The farm also boasts increased biodiversity, providing a haven for pollinators.

"We're passionate about sustainable floristry," added Jo, who has a background in sustainability education and offers workshops on flower farming and eco-friendly floral design. 

“Our 'Pay-By-Mile' offer was a fun way to encourage people to think about where their flowers come from. 

“We weren’t sure what to expect, but we sold out within an hour. 

“In fact by 10am when we opened our doors we already had quite a queue. 

“Lots of folk also generously paid the difference into our chosen charity pot, BreastCancerNow. 

“Most sales were from Coleford or Bream, with the furthest being seven miles away paying only £7 for their bouquet."

In addition to the "Pay-By-Mile" offer, Wye Valley Flowers also hosts a variety of workshops, including popular "Pick Your Own" bouquet days with cream tea.

Jo was also chosen to be one of the florists who decorated Westminster Abbey for the Coronation.