The five-star floristry team will consist of Hannah Beckley and Alexandra Bolton, from Evesham, Susy Randall, from Biggleswade, Sarah Williams, from Wellingborough, and Heather Marshall, from Kenilworth.
Interflora World Cup has set the theme for the competition as the Manchester Worker Bee, and the team from Moreton Morrell College are currently in the planning and experimentation stage for their display.
And UK florist Elizabeth Newcombe who is the current Interflora Florist of the year will be representing the UK in what is the most important international competition for floristry.
She will compete in a group of 20 of the top florists from around the globe, from countries including Canada, Japan, South Korea and more.
Elizabeth has utilised the college in Warwickshire as her training base since she set out competing in WorldSkills competition and will be supported at the world cup by her assistant Charlotte Davies with further training support from Jane Benefield, course tutor at the college, and Laura Leong, a former lecturer at the college.
Moreton Morrell College has a rich history in the Interflora World Cup, with Laura Leong competing in the Interflora World Cup when it was held in Philadelphia in 2019, when she was a lecturer at the college.
The college’s involvement in the World Cup doesn’t stop at the competition level, with staff and students also committed to support the delivery of the gala dinner which closes the event.
A total of 15 students will be volunteering to support the event in Manchester, while a blacksmith who works at Moreton Morrell College is helping to create the bases for table decorations at the dinner.
Jane Benefield, who is a former Interflora Florist of the Year and has led the floristry department for more than 10 years, says it shows the college’s reputation in the industry that it is set to play such a multi-faceted role in the Interflora World Cup.
“This really is as big as it gets in the field of floristry competition and there is a real excitement around the department as we get ready for the Interflora World Cup,” said Jane.
“For the college to be competing in the team competition, and supporting in the individual competition is fantastic and is further evidence of the high-quality of floristry students we develop here.
“The team entering the student competition are hard at work preparing and we’re also working closely with Elizabeth Newcombe to support her efforts to be named the UK’s first ever winner of the Interflora World Cup.”
To find out more about floristry courses at Moreton Morrell College visit: www.wcg.ac.uk/study
Pictured: Elizabeth Newcombe and Charlotte Davies
