Kentish Express Ashford & District
Florist wins medal for display
A florist has secured a bronze medal for her decorative Brazilian headdress which was displayed at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Ellouise Hasley-Stott entered the Young Florist of the Year competition at the show, which is marking the Queen’s 90th birthday this year.
The task was to create a headdress which could be worn at a Brazilian carnival, and Ellouise created a stunning design with colourful flowers and plants.
It took her four weeks to work on and she dedicated a total of more than 100 hours, earning praise from judges about the high level of technique and design required.
She works at Linda’s Florist in the High Street in Ashford and was attending the flower show for the second time.
She said: “It was an amazing experience and had such a great atmosphere. I was there on press day and got to see the Queen and the Royal family mix and mingle with the celebrities.
“I love doing competition work and seeing how the brief can be viewed differently by so many people with their own take on it.
“It tests you to create pieces which you wouldn’t normally dream of. It was amazing to be rewarded by achieving medals at the most popular flower show in the world.”
Ellouise had already beat competition in the nationwide heats of the competition in order to receive her invitation to attend.
British Florist Association manager Tracy Tomlinson said: “These competitors have competed at the highest level. The RHS Chelsea competition is the pivotal moment of a florist’s career and the BFA is proud to help them achieve this goal.”