First Flower Festival coming up at Shrewsbury Abbey in a number of years.

Shropshire Star

This Fri, Sat, Sun will see a flower festival at Shrewsbury Abbey. The first in a number of years.

Transcript

00:00Hello ladies, how are you?

00:02Fine, thank you.

00:04We're here at the wonderful Shrewsbury Abbey.

00:07Wonderful and leaky today.

00:10The rain's chucking it down outside and it's coming through the roof.

00:14You're doing your bit to try and get people in and raise money for the abbey, aren't you, with these flowers?

00:21What's happening? Friday, Saturday, Sunday is it?

00:23Yes, it's on for three days, ten till four.

00:27Yes, and we are trying to raise money for the abbey.

00:30This beautiful building always needs repairs doing to.

00:34So it's the Shrewsbury Abbey Flower Festival and the theme is Autumn Glow.

00:43Fantastic.

00:45I can't remember there being a flower festival here before.

00:48We were having a little chat off camera.

00:50It's special when it comes round, isn't it, because it's as and when, really.

00:54Yes, there isn't a set pattern to it.

00:57I think it was about five years ago.

01:00Pre-Covid, I think.

01:02And that was organised by Shrewsbury Flower Club.

01:06So what can people expect? Do we know how many displays there are going to be?

01:12There's going to be 29 displays throughout the abbey.

01:16All different designs.

01:19Modern, traditional.

01:22I understand there's a special guest on one of the nights, is that right?

01:26Yes, Saturday evening we've got David Ryland.

01:29He's a superb floral artist.

01:33He's won gold at Chelsea and he did the flowers in Westminster Abbey for the Duke of Edinburgh.

01:42Ah, wow.

01:43So what people can come and see is a little demonstration he's giving.

01:46It's a demonstration, it's ticket only.

01:48It's £10 a ticket.

01:50So if people want to get tickets or find out a bit more, which is the best place for them to look?

01:54Is it the abbey website?

01:56They can buy the tickets here in the abbey shop.

01:59Or at the last minute, if they decide to come, they can pay on the door.

02:03Got you.

02:04And it's £10.

02:06Cheaper twice the price.

02:08And help fix that roof as well that's leaking.

02:12So you ladies, how long have you been involved in flower arranging?

02:15Oh gosh.

02:16Fantastic, you know.

02:1830 years I think I had.

02:20No, probably longer than that.

02:22Well, a good 25.

02:24And you'll be here doing the poppy display, won't you, that's coming up?

02:28Yes, WI.

02:29Yeah, yeah, so we'll get that covered.

02:31Actually, Shropshire WI had an event here just a couple of weeks ago, didn't they?

02:34Yes, we did, yeah, we're both members.

02:36Yeah, yeah.

02:38So, it's Friday, open all day?

02:42Yes.

02:43Till 4.

02:44Yep, cool.

02:45Well, anything else we need to add, or have we got it all in there?

02:48Well, there will be delicious homemade cakes.

02:50Oh, we need to get that in a minute, come on.

02:52Yes, tea and coffee throughout the three days.

02:56Have you ever worked out how many flowers are going to be involved, or stems, or...

03:01A lot.

03:02Yeah.

03:03I mean, if there's 20-odd displays, what do you reckon, on an average display,

03:09how many flowers go into an average display?

03:13When we were bucketing them up yesterday, a good 50, 60 stems per bucket.

03:19Yeah.

03:20And is it difficult to keep them, you know, looking good once you've started working with them?

03:25Yeah, you keep working on top of it, keep spraying them.

03:27Yeah.

03:28But it's a bit cooler in the Abbey, so...

03:30I guess that helps, actually, yeah.

03:32Yeah, it's the ones...

03:33Actually, they might be getting a water from that leak in the roof, in the odd ones.

03:37Yeah.

03:38Well, awesome work, ladies.

03:40I'm sure it's going to look beautiful and complement this Abbey.

03:43And good luck with the festival.

03:45Thank you very much.

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