STAFF at a florist in Hook celebrated its 30-year anniversary by cracking open the bubbly.

Past and present members of staff of Casa Flora, in London Road, were joined by customers last Thursday to celebrate the anniversary of the shop opening on April 17, 1984.

At one point, the shop was full of visitors, and around 150 people came along in total to mark the milestone.

Guests included Janet Blake, who founded the shop and is the mother of current manager Paula Budden, and Mrs Budden’s daughter Gina, who once held a part-time job at the florist.

Mrs Budden, 49, of Nursery Close, Hook, worked at the store from the beginning when she was employed by her mother as a delivery driver.

She said: “We had a brilliant day and sent a few people home tipsy.

“We had a lot of people come along who used to work here, and it was nice to see some familiar faces.

“All small businesses are finding it hard at the moment but we are such a familiar face and have been here for such a long time that hopefully when people want to buy flowers, they will think of us.”

The event raised £147 for Breast Cancer Care through a raffle, for which the top prize was a £50 bouquet won by an employee at Graves Butchers, also in London Road.

Mrs Budden thanked people for coming to the event, and all those who bought raffle tickets to raise money for the charity.