A FLORIST from Oswestry was faced with an unusual challenge when it received a call asking it to deliver a bouquet of flowers to a grave in the town – from a customer in Indonesia.
Tracey Austin, from Hobo Floral Design, was greeted one day last week by an email from a man in the Asian country who wanted to add a bouquet of flowers to a friend's grave at Oswestry Cemetery.
Tracey had initially thought it would be nearly impossible to find the particular grave, so had to decline the man's request – before deciding to take the challenge head-on.
She said: "I replied that unfortunately, it was such a big cemetery that the time looking for and finding a particular grave would be near impossible."
But after pondering the decision, Tracey came up with a way.
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She added: "I had a thought, and messaged my very good friend Michael Owen at 7am with a question expecting him to get back to me later on in the day."
Mr Owen is the head groundsman at Oswestry Cemetery, and knows the ins and outs of the place.
"Between 7am and 8.20am, one day last week, whilst eating my breakfast, I was having email conversations with the gentleman in Indonesia, he is six hours ahead of us, and with Michael in Oswestry," Tracey added.
"When Michael got to work, he looked up on his computer and found exactly where the grave of the lady was, plus the aisle and plot number and sent a photograph of the grave to send to the gentleman."
This all happened in an hour and a half and all parties were amazed by how quick the whole operation took place.
Today, on the lady's anniversary, Tracey met Michael at the Oswestry Cemetery gates, from where they drove over to the grave and placed the flowers.
Tracey then sent a picture to the gentleman in Indonesia of the bouquet on the grass in front of the grave.
"He was on a flight a year ago today when he received the terrible news, coincidence makes it he was also on a flight today when I sent the pictures.
"This time a little happier that the flowers got to his friend's grave on the day of her anniversary."
Michael said that he is happy to help Hobo Floral Design with finding a grave as long as the person has passed away after 1852.
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