For years, flowers were a bedside mainstay for patients being treated in hospitals. With holistic benefits and the ability to brighten up a dingy hospital room, families and friends alike turned to bunches of lilies and tulips to raise the morale of loved ones undergoing medical attention. That’s no longer the case, with 92% of the UK’s NHS hospitals now officially banning fresh flowers. We wanted to set this right, and on behalf of our client Country Baskets, we’ve launched the awesome ‘Power of the Flower’ campaign.
Today at St James’s Hospital in Leeds, we’ve introduced the UK’s first artificial flower vending machine. The flowers are made entirely using craft products available at Country Baskets stores, and the posies will be dispensed for free all weekend to bring a splash of colour and cheer to patients. Carefully positioned to fit alongside Mothers Day, the ‘Power of the Flower’ will undoubtedly bring a smile to the face of many mothers having to spend their weekend receiving treatment at the hospital. Prior to kicking off the campaign, we carried out copious amounts research into consumer opinion regarding the NHS flower ban, and received resounding results in favour of flowers igniting feelings of happiness, a loving feeling and mood improvement. With over three quarters of our respondents disagreeing with the flower ban, we made it our mission to bring a smile back to the face of patients at St James’s, in the form of this great feel good campaign for Country Baskets. As part of the campaign, we’re today working with television personality and leading psychologist Emma Kenny, who has voiced her support of the campaign to bring flowers back to hospital wards, stating her beliefs that, from a psychological standpoint, flowers can have a huge impact on a person’s recovery or general well-being. The event launched this morning on the hospital’s elderly ward, in the Gledhow Wing of Leeds’ St James’s Hospital, and the vending machine will be present dispensing free artificial posies all weekend. We’ve already got some great coverage of the event on the Daily Mail, but keep your eyes peeled for all the latest on this great campaign.
