OUR open meeting is on Monday, April 24 at the Armstrong Hall in Thornbury. Doors open at 6.30pm for 7.30pm.

Katherine Kear will give a floral demonstration entitled ‘White Knights’. Katherine is a national demonstrator, a speaker and won a gold at Chelsea.

Prior to that in March, Sharon Dower from Swansea gave a colourful demonstration entitled ‘Nature’s Cast Offs’.

Sharon is an Area Demonstrator and teaches floristry for NAFAS. She passed her pre-national and national tests in Thornbury a few years ago.

Sharon makes some of her containers from driftwood which she finds whilst out walking on the beach.

Ferns and green Anthuriums were used in one display which was enhanced by a piece of wood which resembled a giraffe.

White Gerberas were used in another arrangement.

Sharon’s tip for keeping them straight was to immerse them through a grid placed on top of a bucket with a small amount of bleach added to the water.

Forsythia was also used in another arrangement.

This should be pruned as soon as it has flowered.

This was a formative and enjoyable afternoon.

Our next practice is on Monday, April 10 when the theme will be ‘Oranges & Lemons’ in the Armstrong Hall complex at 1.30pm.

Come along with a few flowers, oranges and lemons and have some fun.