Falkirk flower man Alisdair raises hundreds of pounds for Strathcarron Hospice
Many people find time to take up a hobby when they retire but one former railway man has turned his colourful past time into a money making operation for Strathcarron Hospice.
Alisdair Brown (79), from Montgomery Street, in The Bog area of Falkirk, has been creating amazing flower displays since he retired after a long career in ScotRail and British Rail – rising to the role of deputy chief controller for Scotland before calling it a day back in the late 1980s.
Alisdair, who admits to having a “nice" front garden, does all his creative work in the back garden.
"I bought 400 different coloured 10cm pots this year to match the colour of the flowers going in them.”
He has an ongoing display at AMR Log Cabins, in Grahams Road, Falkirk, where owners – who had loved ones cared for at Strathcarron Hospice – allowed him to put his plants outside the premises, where they retail for £10 a pot.
Between June and July alone Alisdair raised £450 for Strathcarron Hospice through his plant sales and received a thank you letter from the Denny facility, which provides specialist palliative care and expert end of life care for the people of Forth Valley and beyond.
"I think I must make around £100 a week for the hospice,” said Alisdair, who had friends who were cared for by Strathcarron. "I’m right into what I’m doing and it’s very healthy for me.
"I’m going to keep doing it until I can’t anymore.”