Business begins to blossom

By BARBARA WARD

A floristry student won two first prizes with her first entry at Newark and Nottinghamshire County Show. Lou Stafford (50) of Side Row, Newark, said she was shocked by the result, but delighted, as she and a friend had just launched a floristry business.

“I thought I didn’t stand a chance as the competition was so good,” she said.

Lou, who is in the first year of a City and Guilds course at an adult education centre at North Hykeham, won the Oaklands Perpetual Challenge Cup in the Flair For Foliage category and won the overall award for best use of foliage at the show.

A joint entry with a fellow-student, Carole Jones from Mareham Le Fen, in the Of An Era category, came third.
Lou has an art and design background and qualified as a garden designer in 1995.

She has started the new business with another City and Guilds’ student, Sonia Raymond (34) of Brant Broughton.
Sonia started by producing craft items and selling them at fairs, but decided her passion lay with flowers.

The two women’s business, Trust Flora, is run from their homes, but most of the work is gained from their web site.
Says Lou: “I think we are the only florist in the area to have such a web site.

“We are both very different. Sonia’s work is inspired by the country and is wild looking with a modern twist.
“I am very precise, but take inspiration from all sorts of places.”

The partners offer flowers for corporate events, funerals, special events and weddings.

They are also planning workshops for anyone wanting to learn about flower arranging.

The first is on Monday, June 18 at Norwell Village Hall from 7pm until 9pm. Participants will create a table decoration to take home.
The workshop is £15 and includes the cost of flowers and foliage.

There will be a similar workshop on June 25 at Collingham Village Hall.

Since her entry at Newark, Lou has been bitten by the competition bug and in two weeks will be entering a solo exhibit, Eruption, at the East of England Show at Peterborough, and a joint entry, again with Carole Jones, called The Elements.

The Trust Flora web site is www.trustflora.co.uk  

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