Moreton Morrell florists set to star in world's premier floristry competition

Thursday 27th of July 2023 12:08 PM

Floristry students from a college in Warwickshire are set to star in the world’s premier

floristry competition this September – with another florist who trains at Moreton Morrell

College preparing to represent the UK on the world stage.

Moreton Morrell College, which is part of WCG, will be entering a team of five of its Level 5

students into the final of the Student Team Competition at the Interflora World Cup which will

be held in Manchester on Saturday, September 9.

The five-star floristry team will consist of Hannah Beckley and Alexandra Bolton, from

Evesham, Susy Randall, from Biggleswade, Sarah Williams, from Wellingborough, and

Heather Marshall, from Kenilworth

Interflora World Cup has set the theme for the competition as the Manchester Worker Bee,

and the team from Moreton Morrell College are currently in the planning and experimentation

stage for their display.

And UK florist Elizabeth Newcombe who is the current Interflora Florist of the year will be

representing the UK in what is the most important international competition for floristry.

She will compete in a group of 20 of the top florists from around the globe, from countries

including Canada, Japan, South Korea and more.

Elizabeth has utilised the college in Warwickshire as her training base since she set out

competing in WorldSkills competition and will be supported at the world cup by her

assistant Charlotte Davies with further training support from Jane Benefield, course tutor at

the college, and Laura Leong, a former lecturer at the college.

Moreton Morrell College has a rich history in the Interflora World Cup, with Laura Leong

competing in the Interflora World Cup when it was held in Philadelphia in 2019, when she

was a lecturer at the college.

The college’s involvement in the World Cup doesn’t stop at the competition level, with staff

and students also committed to support the delivery of the gala dinner which closes the

event.

A total of 15 students will be volunteering to support the event in Manchester, while a

blacksmith who works at Moreton Morrell College is helping to create the bases for table

decorations at the dinner.

Jane Benefield, who is a former Interflora Florist of the Year and has led the floristry

department for more than 10 years, says it shows the college’s reputation in the industry that

it is set to play such a multi-faceted role in the Interflora World Cup.

“This really is as big as it gets in the field of floristry competition and there is a real

excitement around the department as we get ready for the Interflora World Cup,” said Jane.

“For the college to be competing in the team competition, and supporting in the individual

competition is fantastic and is further evidence of the high-quality of floristry students we develop here.

“The team entering the student competition are hard at work preparing and we’re also

working closely with Elizabeth Newcombe to support her efforts to be named the UK’s first

ever winner of the Interflora World Cup.”

To find out more about floristry courses at Moreton Morrell College visit

www.wcg.ac.uk/study

PICTURE CAPTION: Elizabeth Newcombe and Charlotte Davies