Village Flowers
'Yes, you're in the right place', I motioned to a lady I had spotted wandering around the rose bushes in the gardens of All Saints Church in Milton Keynes Village.
It was a lovely sunny morning, I could smell the coffee brewing inside and I was looking forward to welcoming at least 20 ladies...and one man to a flower arranging workshop.
Soon, the Church was full of hustle and bustle as everyone was positioned around trestle tables with their own flower pots, damp oasis (foam used as a base for an arrangement) and bunches of green 'filler' in hand.
Miranda from Amaris Flowers facilitated the event and she was brilliant at explaining each step in the creative process. I learnt many things that morning. For instance, did you know that oasis doesn't need to be steeped overnight in water anymore!? Most importantly, I learnt to have a healthy respect for florists - who employee a great degree of practical and aesthetic skill when throwing together floral arrangements with such ease.
A few days later, I was welcoming the ladies from Sunnyside Church in Berkhamsted to a Floral Demonstration, hosted by David Round from Petals florists. He started to build the most amazing pedestal display, whilst answering a deluge of floral questions from the audience. He then proceeded to showing us how to create a hand-tied bouquet. I was amazed by how easy it was to remove the stems from flowers by holding them together at the heads and pulling down firmly in one smooth movement. I discovered why my pot plants where always wilting on me; they're always placed next to the fruit bowl! I also learnt about how Wholesale Flower Markets are changing; David explained that most florists now order direct online from all over Europe. He was quite happy about calling a halt to the 3am trips into London!
Behind all the floral antics there was a serious story told about a Cambodian girl called Lee-Ap. In her own words, Lee-Ap says 'I miss being a family......and most of all I miss hugging my Mum''. Since 13-year-old Lee-Ap's father died, her mother works far away from their Cambodian village - often for months at a time. Alone, Lee-Ap looks after her small sisters. They live in constant fear of hunger and exploitation.
The ladies at the workshop heard how they could change this. An irrigation project in the village will allow Lee-Ap's Mum to return home. It was a wonderful story to end with and it left all the ladies eager to carry on the Floral Friday theme in their own ways, to raise awareness and funds for children like Lee-Ap who desperately rely on our support offered through World Vision.
For more information on how you and your friends can be a part of Floral Friday click here