'I appreciate the generations who stuck with me' - Freckleton florist Margaret Mason reflects on turning 90

She’s survived a famous air disaster, is at work at 5.30am every day, and has remained determined to defy society’s expectations of women. Reporter Catherine Musgrove speaks to Freckleton floristry Queen Margaret Mason as she turns 90.

"I like to open the gate and lock up, every day", said the force of nature, who shows no signs of slowing down as she enters her 10th decade.

“I’ve got bags of energy”, she says, proudly walking around elaborate props and displays, explaining her 12-hour days, six days a week.

Brought up on a farm in Bush Lane, Freckleton, Margaret is a survivor of the Freckleton Air Disaster in 1944, when an American bomber crashed during a test flight, killing 61 people - including 38 school children from Holy Trinity School. The traumatic experience which occurred when she was just eight years old, coupled with a no-nonsense upbringing, forged her determined, ‘can-do’ attitude, which has seen her pioneer in the world of business.

She said: "They call us survivors, but I wasn't hurt. I remember it was raining very heavily and there were thunderstorms. It was raining so hard that the teacher stopped the lesson and was talking to us. Then suddenly, it went bang and everything was red with flames and you couldn't see.

“We didn't rush out, but there were flames coming from the ceiling. We went to the field, others went to the air raid shelter, but because the gate was locked we had to be thrown over by some Americans."

Margaret remembers running to her Auntie’s house and physically shaking while waiting for her father to turn up. He then went to look for the son of a family friend. “But they didn’t find him, he was killed”, said Margaret.

“It was so sad. And I'd have nightmares where everything was on fire. I'd get up and tell my mum and dad I was scared, but they told me to get back to bed and don't be so silly. That's how things were. They were a bit hard on me, but it taught me very quickly to to deal with things practically. You learn what has gone has gone and you have to get on with things and look to the future."

In fact, looking to the future is one of Margaret's great mantras. She said: "I've never really looked at how things are now, I want to look at how they're going to be in 10 years time."

It was this laser focus and positivity about what was to come that saw her defy her dad's wishes over farming, and literally get on her bike to become a florist in Preston at the age of 19.

She said: "My dad didn't want me to be a florist. I did the dairies, but my two brothers did the outside and girls did the cooking with mother. But I was not going to do that. So I got on my bike and went to Forshaw's, which was the main florist in Preston at the time."

She stayed for five years, but made it clear to the Forshaw family that her intention was to open her own shop. By the age of 24, she had made it come true, taking a small room in a pub on Friargate for £1 a week. Softening to his headstrong daughter’s chosen carer, her father decided to buy Margaret a van, which she painted yellow - to his horror. Working long, hard hours, she managed to eventually buy 85 Friargate and surrounding units, which she still owns to this day, though now operates from a barn on her family farm in Hillock Lane, Freckleton.

Reflecting on her father, Margaret said: “He did eventually take lot of pleasure from what I did. He came to the shop and I always knew when he’d been, because he smoked a pipe and I’d find matches under the chair. He’d say to me ‘I think you’re doing nearly as well as the boys’.”

She added: “I suppose it was unusual at the time, for a woman setting up on her own, but I didn’t think about it, I was just so determined to get on. I’m not the brightest button, but I’ve always worked hard.”

Margaret believes her love of flowers can be traced back to birthdays in her childhood, when her aunties would always present her with one tulip. As a young girl, she also loved to see wildflowers - particularly bluebells around her birthday - while out on walks with the farm dog and highly-anticipated trips to Brock Bottoms with her father. She said: “I never want people to forget the simple flowers. If you lose the wonderment of wildflowers, that’s very sad.”

Keen to know all there is to know about florestry, Margaret has travelled the world to learn new techniques, “and I could do that because I had good staff I could rely on”, she said. “I’ve been to the Far East, Canada, America, all over, learning all the time. Things are changing all the time, and if you don’t move, you go under. And we’re not going under”.

Margaret passed on her knowledge with many flower arranging classes in evenings for Preston ladies, and over the years, has marvelled at the many changes in the industry, with the introduction of online ordering removing trips to local nurseries, and a greater availability and quality of flowers at all time of the year.

Margaret’s prowess has seen her represent Great Britain at international floristry competitions, and she has worked at some of the country’s top establishments and institutions, such as Cambridge University, The Grosvenor and the Natural History Museum. She also met the late Queen three times, once being presented to her on stage after a performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, having made the floral arrangements for the Royal Box.

She said: “Lord Derby introduced me and said 'This is Margaret, she’s done the flowers.’ The Queen said: “Have you really? They are beautiful.”. We shook hands and I was shaking like a leaf. She made me feel amazing. For the Queen to admire your work is something very special.”

Another proud momement was when Margaret was asked to play the organ for the Interflora Committee. She said: “One time, when Interflora were really on top, I attended their conference and was asked to play for the organ for everyone, because they had a church service to start. I made sure I got them all singing. I felt to play for the whole Interflora committee was one of the highlights of my life.”

Asked to name some of the big events that she is most proud of working at, she struggled, before admitting it was the smaller, more personal arrangements that have meant the most. She said: “It’s an honour to be chosen to do anyone’s flowers, they’re all special. I try to get people to come in and discuss their preferences and find out about them. Funeral flowers I do a lot of, and I inspect everything that leaves. I usually try to call the family in the morning to reassure them that the flowers are all taken care of and tell them that they will get through this.

“But it’s important to remember that I don’t do anything on my own. I have a fantastic team around me, and they’re all special, every single one of them.”

To mark her 90th and to show her appreciation to family, friends, colleagues and supporters, she threw a party for 530 guests at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom on April 19, making her entry coming up through the floor on the iconic Wurlitzer Organ.

She asked for no presents, but simply wanted to give thanks to all the people in her life, with a poignant pause for those no longer here. She said: “I've been very fortunate with the people I've known and who've supported me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the generations who have stuck with me."

The evening was accompanied by the ‘amazing’ Freckleton Band, who brought the ceiling down with a rendition of Land and Hope and Glory with pyrotechnics and confetti explosions. Ever practical, Margaret wanted to check with the ballroom staff whether she would have to clean it all up at the end. She didn’t.

A dedicated Methodist and organ player at Freckleton Methodist Church since the age of 14, Margaret says her great faith has helped her navigate life - and makes her take a rest of Sundays, saying: “I work every day apart from Sundays, it has to fit around church”. She said: “I make sure there’s truth and honesty in everything I do. I believe you should deal properly with people, even if it hurts you, and that nobody is any better than anyone else.

“If you can do a bit of good, do it, you don’t know how far that travels.”