Woman, 90, lays flowers on strangers' graves daily

Kitty Graham lays fresh flowers on graves in Washington Cemetery because she feels it is her "duty"

A woman who has placed fresh flowers on strangers' graves every day for the last 30 years said she felt it was her "duty".

Kitty Graham pays her respects at Washington Cemetery, Tyne and Wear, where her parents are laid to rest.

The 90-year-old who lives in Columbia in Washington, said she hoped someone would continue the tradition after she dies of placing flowers on graves that have not been visited for a while.

She said she had also inspired her florist granddaughter, Aimee Nolan, to place flowers at the entrance for mourners to take for free, to help overcome rising costs.

Ms Graham started the daily ritual after the death of her mother, Catherine in 1991.

"When I walked up that road, I looked on those graves and every time I came up, there, there were no flowers on them," she told the BBC.

"I was looking at one headstone and I thought, you’ve done your duty in the wartime son, so I’ll do my duty now."

Ms Graham pays her respects at her parents' resting place on her daily visits

A former care worker, Ms Graham also pays her respects at graves that have seemingly been unattended by family members for years.

She also helps to tidy up and keep graves free from litter.

She said she felt an emotional connection to those buried, despite "not knowing any of them" and said "I think the world of them underneath there.

"Everybody should look after everybody, because if they were alive today they would be looking after us as well.

“It is very important to me."

Aimee Nolan places flowers at the entrance of the cemetery most days

Ms Graham said she was sometimes helped by her granddaughter who became a florist after arranging flowers following the death of her baby son Harry, also buried at the cemetery.

"I took comfort from that and I realised it was something I was good at," said Ms Nolan, who runs a flower shop in Concord.

Aimee Nolan became a florist after arranging flowers for her son's funeral

In recent years, she has been placing a bucket of flowers at the cemetery entrance for mourners to help themselves.

“Flowers can be quite expensive and a lot of people might not be able to afford them," Ms Nolan said.

She added that it was the perfect tribute to her son.