Potential for flowering friendships to bud at Newark-based club

One of the country’s first flower clubs is appealing for new members as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

Newark Flower Club was forced to close in March 2020, with its committee resigning as covid-19 hit the country, and now needs new members to help it continue into the future.

Now, new chairman Ann Barnes is appealing for members as the club looks forward to a busy year ahead.

“We need to get more bums on seats and it would be such a shame to close because Newark was one of the very first flower clubs in the country,” Ann said.

“We’ve had many starts and stops but we eventually got going and held our first meeting since the pandemic in September last year.

“It went down very well. We got lots of new faces, but not enough of them to make it viable.

“We were hoping that people who have maybe not been involved in flower arranging before might like to give it a go.”

Newark Flower Club was formed in 1953 by Londoner Penny Laurence and Dorothy Cook.

“They started talking about gardening and flower arranging and decided that they would start this group up,” said Ann.

Newark Flower Club meets on the third Tuesday of every month at Highfields school in Newark to watch a demonstration from someone external to the group.

They also regularly attend flower shows, and plans to be at the Lincoln Cathedral for its flower festival in August.

Ann said: “We’re sort of wanting to go back to the traditional flower club where we take part in competitions.

“We have been given the most fantastic space in Lincoln Cathedral for their flower festival in August and we’ve also been on Newark Market.

“People loved it and some cried because it was just after covid.”

Ann said that the main benefit of attending the group wasn’t just to learn about flower arranging.

“Our slogan is friendship and flowers, but the main thing is the friendship,” she said. “You can come along just for a couple of hours, meet friends and have a lovely evening.

“It’s really nice and people make lifelong friendships.”

Ann, from North Scarle, was originally county chairman for the Women’s Institute in Lincolnshire and occasionally demonstrated at Newark Flower Club.

“I decided that when I finished my job as chairman for the county that I would come along and that’s how I got involved with Newark,” she said.

The club’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 15 at 7:15pm.

Visitors are welcome for a contribution of £10.