As ever, Avril kept us all entertained, and treated us to a feast of beautiful flowers and arrangements. She said she was apprehensive at Rainham, as we must all have heard her stories before, but she need not have worried!
She had a new assistant, in the form of her sister, Isabel, down from Scotland. A pity that Isabel is now retired as a demonstrator, as I feel that they had the makings of a great double act!
Jenny Abbott and Barb Nancollas took part in the above, illustrating the Lambeth Charter of 1197 with flowers.
It was a beautiful exhibit, using chiefly garden and wild foliage, flowers and herbs, arranged around a ‘monk’ fashioned from fabric. Credit must go to Barb’s husband, Mike, as well as to the two arrangers, as he was a great help – making ‘ancient seals’ from beeswax!
It was hard work, but the exhibit was much admired, and a credit to Jenny and Barb, and Rainham Club.
Once again, a great show for Rainham, and congratulations to everyone who took part.
Two of our members got special awards: Verity Prior for the Best Use of Garden Material, and Lex Sargent the Novice Award.
Janet Grainger had a very successful show, with a 1st in the miniature class, and two other 2nd prizes.
Lex was awarded a 2nd for her entry, and Verity a 3rd for her petite arrangement, and also a Very Highly Commended for her pedestal. Alison Lowther received a Highly Commended for her exhibit ‘Daybreak’.
A wonderful evening by the sea, tutored by Pat. What a range of interpretations we had – from flat ‘garden’ type scenes, to large exhibits with lots of movement; and all in beautiful seascape colours. Pat toured the room giving help and advice, and commenting on the finished exhibits. Many thanks to Pat, and to our experienced members who also helped with advice, and to all who took part. Well done!
I think it is fair to say that some of us were a little apprehensive about this workshop, thinking it a little out of our comfort zone. We need not have worried, as Graham encouraged us all to get stuck in and have a go! He had brought huge amounts of material with him, and was full of ideas for using it. The results were varied and colourful, and we all greatly enjoyed the evening. Thank you, Graham, for coming from Surrey to inspire us!
We had a delightful evening with Mellissa, who outlined the language of flowers with the help of ‘Rowan’ and ‘Violet’!
Mellissa obviously loves her plants and flowers, and inspired many of our audience, who felt that they might try some of her arrangements themselves.
Many thanks for coming to Kent to entertain us, Mellissa.
We asked members to bring flowers, foliage, container and accessories and create! The results were amazing – we had everything from sophisticated exhibits to tied bunches, traditional triangles to cushion designs. And they were all wonderful. Congratulations to everyone who took part, and thanks to everyone who helped with advice, and to Pat for giving a helpful critique/appreciation of each design at the end.
NB: At our AGM in January, a cheque for £500 was presented to Medway Hospital for their breast cancer analysis machine, our 2016 charity.
We had a great evening with friendly people, lovely food, wonderful floral decorations, and were entertained by Joy Dey, a very talented local singer. Many thanks to our members who provided the delicious puddings, and to the committee members who did the floral arrangements, supplied a tempting raffle and provided food and manpower!
We had a fabulous evening with Julia – her flowers were wonderful, and she has a great sense of humour which kept us all entertained.
Julia’s evening did not start smoothly, as she mistakenly went to our old venue at Upchurch, and wondered why there was no sign of flower club members! However, she turned this contretemps into an amusing tale, so all was not lost!
Many thanks to Julia for a lovely evening.
And, wow! That is just what you did! A fantastic display of petites, decorated boxes, parallel/hedge designs and tied bunches. They looked wonderful, and it is clear that we have learned (or refreshed) a lot of skills this year. Many thanks to all who took part, and to the expert tutors who encouraged and commented on the designs, our own Barbara Mallard and Pat Williams.
Rainham Flower Club 