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