Gogglebox star’s wife issues ‘heartbroken’ statement as family business ravaged by fire: ‘Just awful!’
A fire has devastated a florist shop in Alfreton owned by the mother and sister of Melissa Siddiqui, who is married to Gogglebox star Baasit Siddiqui.
The blaze broke out at the Enchanted Rose Florist on High Street last Friday evening.
Despite the premises being deemed unsafe to enter following the incident, the family-run business is continuing to operate from a nearby location with support from the local community.
The fire has left the owners facing an uncertain future as they wait to assess the full extent of the damage.
Six fire engines were dispatched to tackle the blaze above the Enchanted Rose Florist on Friday, March 21.
Dramatic footage showed flames engulfing the business, which sits below a beauty salon called Eternal Beauty.
Firefighters used an aerial platform to reach the fire as crowds gathered on the street to watch the emergency response.
The fire was successfully extinguished within a few hours of breaking out and fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident.
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Melissa Siddiqui took to Instagram on Sunday to inform followers about the situation.
“No weekend photo dump this week… just a post to let everyone know that although @enchantedrose_florist my mum and sister’s florist, is unsafe to enter following the recent fire in the unit above, they are still open for business on a pre-order basis only,” she wrote.
She described the situation as “heartbreaking” for all involved.
“Running a small business is hard anyway, but to have it removed overnight is just awful,” she added.
The florist is currently operating from a room borrowed from another local business, allowing them to continue taking orders despite being unable to access their shop.
Delivery and collection services are still available from a location just a couple of doors down from their original premises.
With Mother’s Day approaching, a typically busy period for florists, Melissa urged people to support the small business during this difficult time.
“Shop small if you can and get your orders in,” she encouraged her followers.
Lisa Insley, who co-owns the florist with her mum Shirley and sister Kelly-Marie, expressed gratitude for the community’s support.
“We would like to thank all the incredible people and businesses who have offered us help at this time,” she said.
She specifically praised Barry at Trafford Lowe Funeral Services who provided workspace in his back rooms.
“He’s been absolutely wonderful from taking us in the middle of the night to even setting up tables for us to work from,” Lisa added.
“Without the local help we would have just crumbled.”
The owners remain determined despite the setback, with Lisa stating: “Our business is everything to us, it was a dream of ours for so long and we are determined this will not be the end.”
The family doesn’t know when they’ll be able to re-enter their shop, with Melissa noting it “could be weeks/months”.
Customers can still place orders via phone or online for collection from the High Street location. The florist has praised the fire crews who responded from several locations as “incredible”.