Amazing success at Harrogate Flower Show for Shipley College

Shipley College’s Floristry and Horticulture teams have been celebrating outstanding success at this year’s Harrogate Flower Show @Shipley_College.

In the Floral Art competition, ‘Ancient Greece’ category, Shipley College were named overall winner, best in show, and the only recipient of a Gold award for our display ‘Poseidon: King of the Sea & Earthquakes’.

In the Creative Borders competition, Shipley College students and staff were honoured with not one but two 5-star awards for ‘A Border to Dye For’ and ‘It’s All Downhill From Here’ alongside a 4-star award for ‘Fallen Tree Garden’. Judges said the displays told good stories and excellently fit the brief.

The College’s show garden, ‘A Saltaire Story’ was awarded a prestigious Silver Gilt prize, and former Shipley College Floristry and Horticulture students had also been successful across the board, including a striking floral design from former student Daniel Spillane.

Cath Russell, Head of Department for Business, Travel, Horticulture & Sport, expressed her delight and congratulated the staff and students on their achievements. She said, “We are thrilled to have excelled again at this prestigious event. Huge thanks to our brilliant staff for making it happen, and congratulations to all students involved. These achievements can help define your future careers!” 

Student Rachel Henderson has just completed her City & Guilds Level 2 Technical Certificate in Floristry with Shipley College and had the opportunity to contribute to the winning display at the show.

Our Level 3 adult Horticulture students created three creative borders at the show for which they were awarded, Garden to Dye For 5 stars – (The highest award), Is it all Down Hill from here? – 5 stars, Fallen Tree Garden – 4 Stars. The Level 2  ‘A Saltaire Story’ Show Garden won Silver Gilt (The second highest award).

Helena Glassup, Course Leader, Level 3 Horticulture, was thrilled with the results and said, “This is an amazing achievement as we were the only college represented at judging in Horticulture and the only organisation to create four gardens at the show and a floristry display.  There is an average of 45,000 visitors attending the show each year all of whom will see our college popping up and excelling in 5 places. I’m personally so proud of what we have achieved and want to say thank you to the students for all their hard work and for the staff that supported the project.”

The show, run by the North of England Horticultural Society, sees 50,000 visitors descend on the Great Yorkshire Showground each April. It is the most prestigious of its kind in the region, and has been held since 1911.