Mother’s Day is almost upon us, and it’s a wonderful way of celebrating and saying thanks for all that is MUM.

But where did the tradition come from? Not surprisingly, its origins may be in early Greek and Roman festivals, but our modern-day British celebrations date back to the 17^th century when Mothering Sunday became established on the 4th Sunday of Lent. The day became a public holiday when young servant girls working away from home were allowed to visit their mothers – it might be the only day all year when the whole family could get together and relax.

In America, Mother’s Day has quite a different origin. In the early 20^th century, Anna Jarvis called for the establishment of a national Mother’s Day and, after persistent campaigning, it became recognised as an official holiday in 1914. Mother’s Day in the USA - and much of the rest of the world -  is celebrated on the 2^nd Sunday in May.

Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrase ‘Mother’s Day’ but, as celebrations of the day became increasingly commercial, she campaigned to abolish it. Now we buy over 30 million Mother’s Day cards in the UK each year and sales of cut flowers increase by some 40%.

This year, Mother’s Day is on 15 March - and ignore it at your PERIL! Luckily there’s still time to get a perfect doodley present and personalise it with a special one-off design or message for your special one-off mum.