Students at Bath College create designs for the British Florist Association awards ceremony

Students at Bath College were chosen to create table designs for the British Florist Association (BFA) awards ceremony – one of the biggest nights of the year in the industry.  

The BFA is the only recognised floristry industry association, with 8,000 members, and the prestigious ceremony attracted many of the industry’s major suppliers and exhibitors.  

All level 3 students worked on the designs, and seven students travelled to the ceremony, at Chesford Grange Hotel, Warwick, to assemble the table pieces and make finishing touches.  

Floristry lecturer Jo Matthews said: “Students came up with the theme based on the logo and colours of the BFA and wanted to make their own structures to achieve maximum impact and show off their skills.  

“We haven’t been asked to create designs before. It was a great honour and gave the students a fantastic opportunity to take part in a prestigious event, working alongside international and well-known designers.”  

Bath College was awarded the title of RHS Chelsea Floristry College of the Year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2016.  

This month, the college held the South West regional heats for the Chelsea Florist of the Year – welcoming competitors from colleges and businesses across the region.   Bath College floristry students Linda Sorensen and Lucy Overment came second and third in the over 25 category, with Lora Stevens coming third in the under 25 category.  

There are another five heats taking place across the country, and the 16 highest scoring competitors will go through to the final. Competitors were asked to create a structural design to decorate the Tate Modern and a hand-tied bouquet for the gallery’s curator.  

They also watched a demonstration from florist Laura Leong, who showed them 10 different Christmas designs.  

Jo Matthews said: “Everyone really enjoyed the regional heats. It’s always nice to be part of something like this.  

“The students helped set up and it was great to have support from our floristry technician Katie Whittle who gave up a Sunday to help organise things.”  

Students at Bath College will hear about the results of the regional heats in April.