Wellingborough florist in winning team at the first ever Student Team Competition at the Interflora World Cup

Sarah Williams from Wellingborough was part of the winning team of five students from Moreton Morrell College who claimed the top spot in the first ever Student Team Competition at the Interflora World Cup held in Manchester.

The competition saw the college’s team of Level 5 students compete against four teams to create the best sculpture based on this year’s World Cup theme of the Manchester Worker Bee.

Their first-place floral design featured a yellow, purple and cream colour scheme made of an array of bee-friendly flowers including orchids, chrysanthemums and lavender that incorporated a honeycomb pattern into the layering.

The winning team consisted of Jane Horton from Stoke Lacey; Hannah Beckley and Alexandra Bolton from Evesham; Sarah Williams from Wellingborough; and Heather Marshall from Kenilworth.

Their design focused on using sustainable sourced flowers, with the team having only 50 minutes during the competition to cover their structure with more than 75 per cent of plant material.

The team were commended for both their creativity and use of sustainable materials, with the sculpture’s base being built using an unused piece of chicken wire frame found at Moreton Morrell College, while the leaves, branches and organic material were also sourced from the college grounds.

Although this year is the first time the Student Team competition has been held as part of the Interflora World Cup, Moreton Morrell College has a bright history in the Interflora World Cup, with former lecturer Laura Leong competing in the 2019 edition.

Twenty Level 2 and 3 floristry students from the college also immersed themselves in the event, working across the three days to create floral twisted metal columns and branches as centre pieces for the closing night’s gala dinner.

Jane Horton, a member of the winning team, said: “The World Cup was an incredible experience and to win the student competition was amazing.

"We worked really hard as a team to prepare for the competition and are delighted to have come away with the win.

“It was great to be involved in the event. Alongside the competition I was able to help out with the floral decorating and attend workshops and demonstrations from world-class florists which have really enhanced my skills and given further inspiration for my career plans in the industry.”

Moreton Morrell College also saw success from its work supporting UK florist Elizabeth Newcombe, who used the college as her training base and received support from Head of Department Jane Benefield during her preparation for the World Cup.

Elizabeth, who is the currently UK Interflora Florist of the year, competed against 20 florists and came third in the world at the competition.

Elizabeth competed across four rounds, creating three sculptures inspired by the theme of “Our natural world”, incorporating honeycomb into a floral sculpture and making a handtied meadow themed bouquet.

Jane Benefield, herself a former Interflora Florist of the Year, has led the floristry department for more than 10 years, and says the students’ competition success is a testament to the college’s teaching practices and excellent standing in the industry.

She said: “This year’s Interflora World Cup has been a great success for the college and I would like to congratulate to our students for their excellent win in the team competition.

“They created a very professional and imaginative sculpture and showcased the high quality of floristry students we develop at the college.

“Congratulations also go to Elizabeth on her third place amongst a very strong field.

"We are delighted to have support her success on the international stage.”