Florists in Aberdeen, flowers Kilmarnock and florists throughout the countless other Scottish towns and villages will be hoping to follow the lead of one record-breaking Edinburgh florist who has been handed a prestigious award.
The White Petal Company has become the first florist from Scotland and the fifth florist overall to be given the Guild of Master Craftsmen’s Quality and Service Award, which recognises and celebrates faultless customer service and workmanship.
The likes of Harrods and Rolls Royce have also received the Guild of Master Craftsmen’s Quality and Service Award in the past, leaving The White Petal Company owner George Sirrell to bask in his company’s achievements.
Sirrell said: “It was a great surprise to receive a telephone call from The Guild of Master Craftsmen’s Chief Assessor of Scotland.
“The nomination to the Guild was for the quality and service that we have been providing over the years and this was made even more special as we had been nominated by our customers, which we were unaware of.
“We are very proud to now belong to an organisation that includes companies such as Harrods, Rolls Royce and Jenners amongst its members.”
While Sirrell and the rest of the staff at The White Petal Company toast to their success, the inaugural Interflora Flower School is poised to be launched at the opposite end of Britain, offering the chance for people to attend a unique series of classes aimed at improving the floral skills of people of all ages and abilities.
For anybody keen on all things flowers Basingstoke gardeners and those from all over the south of England will no doubt be excited at the prospect of picking up a few tips from the experts and from high-profile individuals in the industry.
A Georgian townhouse in London’s West End will become Interflora Flower School HQ in November and December and prove a stunning location for people to learn more about what it takes to become an award-winning florists and how to spruce up every room in the house with some festive floral creations.
The quartet of Sarah Horne, David Ragg, Karen Barnes and Dennis van Wonderen make up Interflora’s teaching team and they certainly have plenty of handy hints ready to dish out to budding horticulturists.
With two gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show between them, Ragg and Barnes know exactly what it takes to wow the crowds at arguably the most prestigious flower show of them all, while Horne is rated amongst the UK’s top-50 florists by The Independent newspaper.