Bridgwater College’s Floristry department recently held its first village Flower Festival at St. Mary the Virgin Cannington Parish Church, where over 150 visitors attended.

The Flower Festival was a community project of floral design, celebrating village life, and raised over £450 for Quantock Deanery Youth and Children’s Support Work and the Rise Up Society, Kenya. Local companies sponsored displays including Cannington Village Bakery, Blackmore Farm, West Country Grain and Gurney Manor Mill, amongst others. Each ticket purchased also enabled free entry to Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington, located next to the church.

Jacqui Weaver, Programme Manager for Floristry at Bridgwater College and Festival Organiser said,

“We built some good bonds with the local community over the four days and have been asked to do it again next year where we will move it to the first earlier May Bank Holiday weekend.

“Flower Club members travelled from Weston-super-Mare, the Quantocks, Wedmore and Langport, and gave us excellent feedback on the quality of the floristry work and design ideas. Many of them took pictures and plan to use our ideas for their own flower festivals in the future.

“The local businesses that came to view the designs they had sponsored were delighted that we had taken the trouble to tailor their displays to the theme/corporate identity of their businesses. It was a great event!