Manchester Florist is World Class

British entrant Neil Whittaker became one of the top 10 Interflora florists in the world yesterday.   He was participating in the 13th Interflora World Cup which took place this weekend in Shanghai, China. Known as the most prestigious event in world floristry it attracts some of the best florists from across the globe.

 

The competition is held every four years, and first took place in 1971. Interflora has the largest network of florists in the world, and the top florists gather to compete to produce the highest level of floral artistry. This was the first time it was held in China.

 

Neil was competing against 20 countries in front of a global audience.  Challenging preliminary rounds took place over two days, with talented florists competing to produce cutting edge designs on four themes including a bridal bouquet on the theme “Oriental Petal” and a table setting entitled “Green Tea for Two”.

 

Just 10 competitors went through to the final and had to use all their skills to produce a floral arrangement in just one hour, using a variety of flowers which were only unveiled on the day. Neil commented; “I started preparing for the competition in May 2009. My use of bold colours and clean lines really paid off. I was competing against some of the greatest florists in the world; to be in the top ten feels amazing after spending months working on my designs”.

 

Neil runs The Design Element in Irlam, Manchester and has been a florist for 32 years, owning the shop for 30 years having built up a host of loyal customers. As a creative and experienced florist, he has won other awards including RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year 2009, Interflora UK Florist of the Year 2007 and BFA Florist of the Year 2006.

 

Interflora’s Marketing Director, Michael Barringer commented; “The competition was a showcase of the most creative florists in the world and Shanghai provided a fitting backdrop. We are proud of Neil’s achievements and are privileged that both us and our customers have access to such a talented florist within the Interflora team”.