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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Flower used as love symbol by Victorians makes a comeback
A flower used by Victorians to express their love is making a comeback. Demand for asters in bouquets has more than quadrupled in the UK over the last two years, according to supermarket figures. The flower was very popular in Victorian times, when floriography – the language of flowers – was used as a discreet way to communicate feelings and learning the symbolism became a popular hobby among the middle classes. Etiquette in 19th-century England discouraged open displays of emotion, meaning there were often hidden meanings among arrangements of flowers being sent. Now, asters, which were associated with love, patience, and wisdom, are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, with sales in Tesco growing nearly 350 per cent over the last two sales years. Jamie Simpson, a Tesco flowers expert and technical manager, said the supermarket started selling them in 2022 'not only because they look lovely but also because they are such great value for money'. 'In that first year we sold 215,000 bunches but they became so popular so quickly that last year we sold 500,000,' he said. 'This year we hope to sell nearly double that.' In 19th-century England, asters also represented elegance and grace, two qualities highly valued during the Victorian era. 'Asters are glorious flowers that have only recently come back into vogue with growers but that, in just two years, have made a sensational impact with shoppers,' said Mr Simpson. 'Aster matsumoto, also known as Japanese aster, bear beautiful, large daisy-like flower heads and come in many different colours such as blue, purple, pink, dark pink, red, and white, all with a bright yellow centre.' The UK's biggest grower of asters, L&D Flowers based in Pinchbeck near Spalding, Lincs, has grown five million stems for this season to meet demand. James Lacey, the managing director at L&D, said: 'We only started growing asters three years ago as a result of the success we have had with sunflowers, but we've really been taken back by just how popular the flower has become in so short a space of time.' According to Tesco, the reason asters have become so popular is that they are an impactful, British seasonal flower, with vivid colours, a good vase life, and are priced at just £3 a bouquet. Asters are fast-growing annual flowers that bloom in the late summer. The flower is native to Japan and is a member of the Asteraceae family, along with other popular cut flowers such as sunflowers, dahlias, and chrysanthemums.
9 News
2 days ago
- 9 News
Commuters offered a day's compensation after train lines down for a week
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING RBA hands down third rate cut of year Commuters across Melbourne will be eligible for one free day of travel after a train derailment left passengers stranded last month. Metro Trains' Mernda and Hurstbridge lines were down for a week from July 13 after a train partially derailed near Clifton Hill station, damaging 100 metres of track. Metro Trains chief executive Raymond O'Flaherty today announced passengers with a valid myki who touched on on more than 10 days in July could apply for an $11 Myki credit. The faulty train carriage had to be lifted from the track with a crane. (Nine) "We know it was a very significant disruption to Mernda and Hurstbridge.. and I sincerely apologise for that," O'Flaherty said. "The compensation is not just for those who were disrupted, it's all passengers who travelled on our network." The compensation payout is standard at times when Metro fails to meet its performance target. "Metro did not meet its service delivery targets for July, we fell short ... and as a result we are paying compensation to eligible passengers. "Our contract has a very clear process for the rules that are set out and we follow that process." Commuters were forced to take replacement buses for a week as crews worked to repair the damaged track. (Nine) Eligible passengers can apply for compensation through the Metro Trains website. More than 600 passengers have lodged claims so far, O'Flaherty said. "We've made it very simple. All they have to do is put in their Myki number, submit the form [and] that will be assessed very quickly and compensation will be paid." The cause of last month's derailment remains under investigation, with a preliminary report expected to be released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau in a month. Shadow public transport minister Matthew Guy blasted the offer as "cold comfort". "At the end of the day, Victorians just want the system to work," Guy said. Melbourne Metro Trains Victoria national Australia trains CONTACT US
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Grave fears': Overdose deaths reach 10-year high in Victoria
Christoforou said alcohol and other drug treatment services were unable to cope with the requests for help, resulting in excessive waiting times that could span months, effectively making treatment unattainable. 'We are worried that people are giving up,' he said. 'This data is again marked by an increase in heroin-related fatal overdoses. The continuing debate on the value of medically supervised injecting, led by misinformed and stigmatising narratives, has sadly stymied further support. What we see in today's data is the real impact of these debates.' Christoforou said increasing medically supervised injecting spaces in high-risk areas was a matter of urgency. Loading While the number of heroin-related deaths has fluctuated substantially year-to-year over the past decade (except for the Yarra local government area, where they have been stubbornly high), they accounted for more than 40 per cent of fatal overdoses in 2024. The vast majority, about 80 per cent, took place in metropolitan Melbourne. Almost half of the fatal heroin overdoses in the Yarra area – which includes the inner-city suburbs of Abbotsford, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Fitzroy North and Richmond, among others – occurred in parks, alleys, toilet blocks and other public spaces. Dr Erin Lalor, the chief executive of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, said Victoria lacked a long-term alcohol and drug strategy focused on harm prevention with a dedicated budget. 'The state government consulted with the alcohol and other drug sector last year around a dedicated alcohol and drug strategy, but we are still waiting for its release,' she said. Lalor said health services like pill testing also needed to go hand in hand with prevention programs and education campaigns, particularly for those at risk of an overdose. Loading Victorian State Coroner John Cain said no community in Victoria escaped the impact of overdose deaths. He said ensuring that Victorians could access support, treatment and education was vital. 'We have seen some genuine progress in harm reduction initiatives recently, including the commencement of Victoria's drug checking trial,' he said. 'However, the concerning rise in overdose deaths and especially those involving illegal drugs is a stark reminder that we need to keep building on our harm reduction efforts.' A decade ago, illegal drugs contributed to just under half of Victorian overdose deaths. In 2024, they accounted for 65.6 per cent of deaths, up from 58.9 per cent in 2023 and 54.9 per cent in 2022. While deaths linked to pharmaceutical drugs have declined by nearly 10 per cent since 2015, the substances continue to contribute to a significant proportion of fatalities. In 2024, there were 405 fatal overdoses where pharmaceutical drugs were detected. Benzodiazepines were the most common type of drug detected, followed by prescription opioids, antidepressants, antipsychotics and anticonvulsants. Both benzodiazepines and pharmaceutical opioids have experienced a drop, most likely as a result of changes to prescribing practices and the roll-out of the SafeScript system, which allows doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to access a patient's prescription history for high-risk medication. The data shows men are, on average, twice as likely as women to die from an overdose, with people between the ages of 35 and 54 most at risk. The rate of overdose deaths among men reached its highest level in a decade in 2024, after jumping 16 per cent from the previous year.
