College students in Hinckley have launched a new florist service at their campus on Lower Bond Street that is open to the public. The new retail outlet, Creative Blooms, based at the Hinckley Campus of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) will enable students to develop customer service and commercial skills as part of their training to achieve floristry qualifications and prepare to enter the industry.

Creative Blooms takes delivery of grade A flowers from Holland each week enabling it to offer a range of bouquets, sprays and wreaths that can be ordered online and collected on the same day if required. Hinckley businesses are also invited to order flowers for their offices, or for special events.

The floristry team at NWSLC’s creative arts campus is also offering workshops for the public in how to arrange flowers for special occasions from Christmas and Mother’s Day to weddings. Its short courses which run throughout the year provide an introduction to the floristry sector and can help to launch new careers.

Dawn Helsby’s inspirational story started when she joined a five-week course at NWSLC to learn floristry in 2012. She went on to qualify at Level 2 and 3 and set up her own floristry business while she was expecting her youngest child. Dawn’s business, The Blossom Room, went from strength to strength and she produced floral arrangements for events including weddings and hosted workshops in the conservatory of her local pub.

Students at Creative Blooms are supported by experienced tutors including floristry lecturer Maddy Baker who continues to work on freelance commissions for high profile clients including celebrities and film actors. Maddy has worked on creations at exclusive venues including Belvoir Castle, Elvaston Castle and Newstead Abbey. Maddy said, “It is rewarding and creative work and there are so many opportunities to develop and specialise. All you have to do is start the ball rolling with a college course and the sky is the limit.”

Tutor Megan Lomas left school at 16 with just 3 GCSEs. She has worked her way up from Level 1 to Level 5 starting at NWSLC and eventually completing a foundation degree in Floristry. Megan has worked in many flower shops over the years in Coventry, Hinckley, Nuneaton, and Stratford-on-Avon. Three years ago, Megan reached the national final of the RHS Chelsea Young Florist of the Year for the second time after securing a place in the UK top fourteen. Megan said, “I find I can really express myself through floral design. Everybody loves flowers and it is fantastic to be able to work in an industry that brings a smile to everyone’s face.”

These specialist tutors are helping students like floristry student Charlotte Reading from Nuneaton who has already improved in confidence having created a wide variety of floral arrangements including a cake top for a wedding, hostess bouquet, many posies, and funeral tributes. Charlotte said, “I love the practical nature of the course. We learn new skills and keep up with the latest trends in flowers. I want to work as a florist when I leave college and hopefully one day, I might get to open my own shop”.

For more details on the products and services that Creative Blooms can offer, visit the website.

www.creativeblooms.uk