Talented florist celebrates reaching finals of competition to name UK Florist of the Year
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 21/06/2017
A talented florist is celebrating after reaching the final of the UK Florist of the Year competition held at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live show at Birmingham’s NEC.
Katy Coleman, who works at Sandra Florist, in Kettering, came second as she took on some of the nation’s top florists in the live heats of the competition.
She is now honing her skills as she gets ready to try and come out on top at the organisation’s annual trade show in Birmingham this October.
Katy said: “I was absolutely delighted to take part in the UK Florist of the Year heat.
“It is one of the most demanding and nerve-wracking competitions out there for florists. I had to create three designs under strict time constraints in front of a huge audience, and I didn’t know the design brief for one of them until the day itself.
“I have really enjoyed the floristry competitions and this one is a slightly different format to ones I have been involved in recently, with both a pre-made piece and three designs to be made under a time limit on the day.
“I got involved after the British Florist Association (BFA) sent emails out to some florists that have been involved in competitions recently; it is listed on their website so I was aware that it was coming up, but wasn't sure if I would enter or not as it is quite a different format.”
Katy has been a florist for 15 years. She joined Central England Co-operative in March this year.
The UK Florist of the Year competition is organised by the BFA, who are celebrating 100 years as the voice of the independent florist.
“We are extremely proud of all the professional florists who took part in such a demanding competition,” said Tracy Tomlinson, manager of the BFA.
“The UK Florist of the Year competition offers the show’s 88 000 visitors a unique insight into the technical skills and creativity of the professional florist.”
Notes to editors
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop