Budding county Armagh florist Emma Sinnamon has won a bronze medal for her Alice in Wonderland inspired creation at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
It is the second year running that Armagh student, Emma (21), has lifted a bronze in the RHS Chelsea Young Florist of the Year Competition.
Emma, who brought everything she needed over in a number of suitcases before assembling her design at the show said she was delighted to win bronze again.
“I am absolutely over the moon that I got a bronze medal for my tree. I was just one point off a silver medal,” she said.
“It was one of the toughest weeks of my life from bringing my creation over on the plane to getting it set up in the middle of the night, but has been worth it in the end. I also got to meet one of my heroes, Royal florist Simon Lycett, who very kindly dismantled my tree and took it back to his studios at the end of show.”
Emma credits her proud father Alwyn, a gardener at Castlewellan Forest Park with inspiring her to become a florist. Last year she graduated from CAFRE with a Level 3 Diploma in Floristry and is currently working for Lavender Lane florists in Lurgan.
“I’ve been to Chelsea before as a visitor but it is fantastic to be able to compete and even better to win a medal!”
Armagh student Emma Sinnamon with her medal from the Chelsea Flower Show
CAFRE Floristry Lecturer Anne-Marie Grant congratulated Emma saying: “She has always worked very hard and so we are delighted with her much deserved success.She is also doing a great job to help promote this growing and dynamic profession that combines creativity, technical ability and business skills.
“Greenmount Campus offers the only full-time floristry programme in the north and we have great resources including excellent purpose-built teaching facilities. Our 18 hectares of amenity grounds at Greenmount also provide a fabulous opportunity to grow your plant knowledge.”
