Election gets rosette maker’s vote!

An Oswaldtwistle company has been working flat out to meet the campaigning needs of the nation’s political parties in the run up to the General Election.

Family firm Rosettes Direct has produced around 80,000 of the election favours for the main parties since Theresa May announced the nation would be going to the polls on June 8.

Its 58-strong workforce has risen to the challenge and gets the vote of managing director David Wallace.

The firm, which specialises in making rosettes for a range of uses including flower, horse and agricultural shows, usually has months to prepare for an election, not weeks.

David said: “Everyone has risen to the challenge. It really has been a case of no pain, no gain.

“It’s a traditionally busy time of year for us, so we’ve really had to pull the stops out to meet the demand. Some days it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day.”

The election rosettes are traditionally worn by candidates and their canvassing teams and each one is individually made from locally sourced materials.

As well as the main political parties David’s team have also been making rosettes for independent candidates and the smaller parties. He said: “We’ve even had an enquiry from an independent candidate wanting rosettes in bright pink.” The business, which is based in York Street, has existed for 30 years in one form or another and has an annual turnover of £1.7m. It also supplies its rosettes for the FA Cup Final.