Hello everyone, Recently at a pilot in The Netherlands for the forthcoming Florint Floristry Judges accreditation we discussed innovation in floristry. The discussion proved thought provoking and I have been thinking about it ever since.

What does innovation mean to florists and is there a place for it.Take a look at my recent article in the Articles section of this website. I am interested to hear what you think innovation is for florists.

Anyone who doubts the benefits of World Skills should have been at the closing ceremony at the O2 arena last night. 950 competitors from across the world, forty different skills, the arena packed full with cheering crowds. All celebrating the best under 22year olds their country can produce. For floristry there is nothing in our industry that supports and encourages young florists as World Skills does, yet it is not really valued by our industry in this country. We should be shouting from the roof tops for young florists to enter this competition, and for the industry leaders, relay organisations and florists associations to be behind this competition one hundred percent. God knows florists need something to cheer about and here is the opportunity. No other competition gives the support and training that World skills gives and it is short sighted of our industry not to see the benefits. In 2009 when Isabel Wilton and I judged the UK Skills at Moulton college, we saw a young florist who we recognised had the potential to become a great florist. This was Victoria Richards and we are delighted that our prophesy came true. For Victoria Richards the transformation has been amazing. From being the underdog in the World Skills Squad she has worked her socks off to become top dog and 6th in the world. What a girl, what a terrific ambassador for young florists in this country. I hope the trade magazines and all the industry will be showing off her skills and using her potential. Whilst on the subject of young people Joe Massie has pulled out all the stops to help and mentor Victoria. Joe was commended and won the award for AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION FOR A WORLD SKILLS ALUMNI at the World Skills. Here is a winning young florist helping and encouraging others to achieve their ambitions. What a star. Lets have a cheer for young florists everywhere, they are our future.

Great news, Neil Whittaker came third in the Europa Cup, the highest score ever achieved by Great Britain in any europa Cup.

 

1st - Natalija Zizko, Russia.	2nd - Niina Minkkinen, Finland

A great result for Great Britain and Neil Whittaker. No one could have worked harder and deserved it more. Off to Prague tomorrow for a little holiday

Sending my blog early today as we are just back to change for the results show this evening.....

 

The first day of the competitions started at 10.00 am with the eighteen contestants making their free expression entitled 'Symphony in Bloom.' Neil choose to depicts part of one of the Czech composer Dvorak's famous opera. The work by all the competitors was stunning. Unfortunately the audience could not get close enough to see the work in progress and this for florists is frustrating....

Today was the second preparation day and we only saw Neil briefly as only competitors and assistants are allowed into the competition area. When Neil came out for a ciggie break we managed to speak to him,he was on track and calm, focused and happy.

 

Neil and Anthony arrived at Havirov in Czech Republic yesterday evening. Ray and I had a four hour wait in Prague airport and arrived at Ostrava at 11.00 pm. Hiring a car from Hertz was fraught as they wanted to charge us another £200.00. Heated words ensued and we finally set off at 11.30 in the dark to find our hotel. After several false starts asking at two petrol stations plus a policeman putting handcuffs on a man, we finally got the correct information from two ladies of the night, who I had to ask as Ray was to frightened. Arrived at the hotel after 1.00 am.

Last week the WorldSkills Floristry Squad met at Ian Lloyds UK School of Floristry where Ian and I talked through how to win a competition and the ups and downs of competing. They were a great bunch, receptive and delightful and will be great competitors in future floristry competitions. You know competitors and floristry judges are similar, we all do our homework before a competition, study the schedule, analyse the marking facets and give the best of our time and expertise. All in the pursuit of excellence. We are consumed by the love of making or finding the perfect piece of floristry. Where competitors and judges differ is that for the competitor the work they make is personal, and the closeness and ownership of this piece can sometimes block reappraisal. This is how it has to be for a competitor and judges understand this. The judge puts aside personal preference and only looks at the merit of each design in the competition room. What is wonderful for a judge is the privilege of looking and touching floristry that has been lovingly created, sometimes the result is not as the competitors would like but always the judge has acted with fairness and objectivity to find the winner. Judging floristry competitions is not easy, or for the faint hearted and this is why judges are all on continuous professional development, receptive to whatever competitors show us in the competition room. Whilst I was at Ian's school I noticed there was a rally good course coming up very soon for florists on window display. For a day learn how to really create mega impact in your shop window and get the customers talking. A florist shops window should attract customers like a magnet. Log on to www.ukschooloffloristry.co.uk for further information. Have a good week.

I can't believe it's nearly the end of January and my blog writing has failed dismally. I could blame pressure of work (of which there is plenty) but I think it is down to the cats who want to sit on my desk when I am typing, paw the screen, jump on the keyboard and shred my paperwork. I have to stop and play with them, it's a hard life. (see pictures in My Gallery) Last week I was in a very chilly Newcastle on Tyne with the delightful Zoe from OASIS and a Finnish florist Miia Hakala who did absolutely beautiful work for the new Scandinavian FRESH magazine. On Wednesday evening at the Soroptimist International evening we had a wonderful talk by a charity worker who helps with a gardening project in Rwanda, it was a humbling experience to see the plight of such poor people and to realise how lucky we are. My cats live better than a lot of people there. So many good people committing for 6 months at a time to help with growing crops and vegetables. It's nice to see Soroptimists the world over helping woman and children. If ladies want to join a Soroptimist club near you, get in touch and I will point you in the right direction. It's an early start on Monday (4.00 am) off to Dusseldorf to the plenary meeting of the Floristry Judges Certification project. Floristry Judges uniting throughout Europe with a single qualification of excellence, very exciting. Of course we already have a wonderful band of floristry judges in UK and the UK Floristry Judges Guild is already training new judges in an exacting course taking place now. I think we are heads up on this. Till the next time.........

Quick now is your chance to enter a unique floristry competition, but hurry entries close very soon. Splash Media TV (producers of Piers Morgan on..., The Generation Game now and then, The Great British Hairdresser) is looking for charismatic florists to take part in a competition for a non-broadcast project organised by the British Florist Association (BFA) and judged by judges from the UK Floristry Judges Guild. Participants must be 18 or over and be available for filming on Wednesday 26th January 2011 at Country Baskets, Gibbs Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 8SY. Please contact Dannie on 0207 255 5432 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to register your interest in taking part, ensuring that you include a recent photograph, a summary of your experience and achievements and contact details. More details on the British Florist Association website. ENTER NOW

Hello and a Happy New Year to you all, With the New Year comes a raft of resolutions as usual. Four days into the New Year and most have already vanished. So now I am doing things slightly differently. I have a wish list for 2011. It sounds so much nicer than a resolution don't you think? Just before Christmas I was working in London and I had the misfortune to visit three floral wholesalers, two sold flowers and sundries, and one was just a sundry wholesalers. How depressing! I was shocked at the dirty, untidy, shambolic state of them all. So my first wish for 2011 is for wholesalers to up their game. I know by their very nature that wholesalers are cavernous places and stack it high is the game but surely at the entrance to these premises there should be something lovely to entice and inspire florists. One wholesaler's car park was a sea of mud, an uninviting miserable entrance. Another's payment area so untidy, littered with sales tags, old stock and rubbish, it's a wonder they make any profit, it would be easy for a florist to walk away with unpaid merchandise. The third slightly better but a long way off what I would call good service. All three wholesalers were part of nationwide chains. It would be really nice to be greeted with a cheerful acknowledgement that a customer is present and about to spend money. Sweeping the floor would also be a novel idea. I don't criticise lightly, everyone is having a tough time but this year it will be the survival of the fittest in retail and showing florist's their wares in innovative ways must surely result in more sales for wholesalers. It's a pull together time for the whole floral industry, focusing on ways to help one another. Building for the future, to produce a stronger more vibrant floral industry. So come on wholesalers, start to buck the trend. This January we have the excitement of the Splash Media pilot TV show about florists. Here is a showcase for florists talents so I hope as many florists as possible have entered this exciting competition. Details are on the British Florist Association Website, hurry though if you want to be part of this exciting experience. Thank goodness all the Christmas Cake has been eaten and normality will return - perhaps! Have a good week Lynda

Hello, I hope you all have your thermals on. The only consolation regarding the snowy weather is that it is not Christmas week and hopefully it will all be gone by next week in time for the Christmas rush. I know it's gone quiet on the Royal wedding front but if Kate Middleton is reading this and planning her wedding bouquet I hope she will not succumb to the common blobby Rose hand tied complete with unwielding fat handle that needs a Sumo wrestlers hands to hold. Can we get back to the premiss that the handle is comfortable to hold, and that the comfort of the bride holding the bouquet is paramount, and not stick pins and wires, dirty moss etc., down the handle? It would be lovely if she would start a new trend in bridal flower design based on the old fashioned basic principles that a bridal bouquet should be as light as a feather and easy to hold for the bride plus look radiantly beautiful. With so many lovely late Spring British flowers available at this time of year, particularly fragrant and lovely Lily of the Valley the bouquet should be a joy to behold and to carry. Which ever florist has the privilege of making the bouquet please remember hundreds of other brides will want to copy it, you have a responsibility to florists to produce a divine bouquet that is made exquisitely and is exciting to look at. Keep warm