A woman who lost her 13-year-old daughter has met the stranger who left poem at spot her child died over 20-years-ago, for the first time on Good Morning Britain.
Sharon Green, from Sheffield, marks the anniversary of her daughter Rebecca’s death every year by placing flowers on the road opposite a leisure centre, where she had been rollerblading and was tragically knocked over by a car in 1996.
This year on her annual visit, she noticed there was a laminated poem called ‘Flowers on the Railings’ dedicated to her yearly floral tribute, and asked her daughter Emma to find who wrote it on Facebook.
Today, she and Emma met the man who wrote the poem, Peter Fearnley, a singer and songwriter also from Sheffield, who had noticed the flowers each year because the anniversary was the day after his wife’s birthday.
Sharon Green (pictured left) , from Sheffield, met met the stranger who left poem at spot her 13-year-old daughter died over 20-years-ago, for the first time on Good Morning Britain while appearing with her daughter Emma Smedly Eason (pictured centre)
Speaking of the moment she first saw the poem, Sharon said: ‘At first I thought it was a notice from the council.
‘My husband and I crossed the road and I was just so overwhelmed. To think that somebody had been driving past, commuting to work for the past 20 years, and had noticed that these flowers were there.’
Host Piers Morgan then revealed that Sharon and Emma would be meeting Peter for the first time, after discovering who he was on Facebook.
He told: ‘You’ve never met him, the man that wrote this. But he’s here, he’s in the studio, the man who write these words that moved you so much.’
Today on on Good Morning Britain, Peter met Sharon and Emma for the first time after Emma found the singer-songwriter on Facebook
After Peter met the mother and daughter, he revealed that after driving past the flowers for over 20-years, he began to expect the flowers and wanted to honour the tribute
After Peter met the mother and daughter, he revealed that after driving past the tribute for more than two decades, he began to expect the flowers, and wanted to honour the effort that Sharon made year after year.
He said: ‘I’d been driving past the flowers every year, like you say for over 20-years and every time I saw them, I thought it was such a touching tribute.
‘I got used to seeing them appear in January. My wife’s birthday is on the 21st of January, so I looked out for them.
‘I’ve been a songwriter for a long time and so it was natural to me to put those feelings into words and write a tribute to you, to say there were other people who noticed your tribute and wanted to share some love, really.’
Part of the poem, called Flowers on the Railings ‘which Peter also recorded into a song, reads: ‘I’ve seen this act of sweet remembrance for over twenty years’
Part of the poem, which Peter also recorded into a song, reads: ‘I’ve seen this act of sweet remembrance for over twenty years.
Flowers on the railings full of tenderness and tears
‘All the colours of the rainbow wrapped up in a pretty bow
‘The flowers on the railings for a love that won’t let go’.
Viewers were moved by the meeting, with one hailing Peter ‘a lovely man’ while another called it a brilliant’ story
Viewers were moved by the meeting, with one hailing Peter ‘a lovely man’ while another called it a brilliant’ story.
Sharon shared that she puts up flowers as a ‘reminder’ to other drivers, to think about the lives they are putting at risk when they drive dangerously.
She said: ‘I always put it there to sort of like, get people to think that it’s a leisure center children go there everyday they cross on that same crossing.
Sharon thanked Peter for his efforts, insisting she was ‘absolutely overwhelmed’ and said she will ‘treasure the poem forever’
Sharon shared that she puts up flowers as a ‘reminder’ to other drivers, to think about the lives they are putting at risk when they drive dangerously
‘I always put it there to tell people, don’t take drugs when you’re driving, don’t drink when you’re driving.
‘It’s young lives their taking, that’s why I put them there on the 20th of January.’
Speaking to Peter, she added: ‘We’d just like to say we were absolutely overwhelmed with the effort and the time put into doing that.
‘We will treasure it forever and thank you so much for putting those words down like you did, it was absolutely marvelous.’