WHEN Matthew Gunn decided to become a florist, none of his friends called him a pansy.

Probably because the 24-year-old was simply carrying on the family tradition - he is the fourth generation of his family to sell flowers in Brighton town centre.

It all started with Matthew's great-grandmother, Harriet Gunn, who sold flowers on the corner of East Street for 64 years.

Her family had moved to Brighton from Ireland during the 1840 potato famine and Harriet was just a teenager when she started selling bunches of violets for gentlemen's buttonholes.

Matthew, who lives with his family in Henfield, said she was a remarkable woman who managed to bring up 11 children and make a success of her business.

He said: "Selling flowers was her life. It would have been totally different because she could only get a couple of different types whereas today you can get every sort of flower under the sun."

Harriet carried on selling flowers right through the First World War. She lived in London Road and with the help of her maid baked cakes for her neighbours while their husbands were away fighting.

After her death, her son Richard took over the business and opened a shop in Richmond Street.

When the shop had to be knocked down during the Second World War, Richard retired and passed the baton to Matthew's father, Terry, who moved the business to Sydney Street.

Since the early days, the Gunn empire has blossomed. Now Matthew has opened a new shop in Churchill Square and the future looks rosy.

Matthew, who was just 16 when he was left in charge of Gunn's Flowers in Castle Square, said: "I never thought of doing anything else - I love it.

"We sell flowers from South America, Africa, Holland - all over the world. It's amazing. A single flower can cost from 50p to £50."

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