This is why one Derbyshire man is giving roses to strangers this Valentine’s Day

Craig Cheetham, 32, has handed out roses for four years to strangers in Ripley town centre but was forced to put his usual plans on hold in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Now he is attempting to 'spread the love' in not just one, but two local towns.

For this year’s Valentine’s Day Craig is aiming to give out the roses in both Ripley and Mansfield.

He said: "I believe that everyone should be happy on Valentine's Day, I give the roses out to men, women, single people, people in a relationship.

"People are often speechless and think it is a joke, but I like to surprise them!

"We have all been through hardships over the last few years, and it is nice to let people know that there are kind strangers out there, and someone who cares.”

Craig, who lives in Ripley and works as a regional business manager for Sky Recruitment Solutions, first began handing out the roses as a marketing ploy for the agency, which matches candidates to roles all over the county, but he admits that it is nice to make people feel happy and put a smile on their faces.

He said: "Last year, my usual plans had to be scrapped due to the pandemic, so we came up with a different idea. We asked people to nominate someone who really deserved the whole bouquet, and the response was outstanding.

"We gave out two bouquets in the end. One to a lady called Karen who broke down in tears after being nominated for being ‘a rock' to her friend during the Covid19 pandemic, and the second was awarded to a gentleman called Clive who lost his wife. He was nominated by his daughter, who wanted to let him know that he was not alone and very much loved despite his recent loss."

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