British Florist Association announces the new Training & Education Committee

Following the acquisition of the Society of Floristry (SofF) on March 1st the BFA have announced the new Training & Education Committee in line with the agreement between the two organisations. The BFA are pleased to announce that Amanda Canning, Tina Parkes and Sandie Griffith along with David Winn from Lantra and Melanie Webb from Keits will have their inaugural meeting under the caretaker chairmanship of BFA vice-resident Brian Wills-Pope MBE on the 18th May in Birmingham. Commenting on the announcement the President of BFA, Mark Ward said “Part of our promise that I made to Society members and the industry was that following the acquisition of the Society, BFA would put a new Training & Education Committee in place as soon as practical. I am pleased that we have managed to do this within just two months”. Mark went on to say. “I am obviously very pleased that the new committee is not just made up of like-minded professionals from within our industry, but will be hugely supported by two leading training figures, David and Melanie”.

 Amanda Canning NDSF. FBFA, is a full time retail florist –in partnership with Barbara Monks at Flower and Plant Works, Runcorn.  She achieved the highest floristry exam marks at Intermediate and Diploma level. After completing a HNC in Business and Finance with distinction and the award of Business Student of the Year, now also teaches part time for Ian Lloyd at the UK School of Floristry specialising in business skills and advanced floristry. Having worked with many international designers; she is a creative and talented professional florist and enjoys sharing her knowledge and inspiration. Amanda is a member of the UK Floristry Judges Guild and qualified judge for FEUPF. She is a representative on the Floristry Industry Group at Lantra helping develop standards for floristry and training from the industry and training organisations’ perspectives. She works as a national floristry demonstrator headlining the SoF Show 2008 and RHS Tatton Flower Shows for the BFA 2008 & 2009.

Tina Parkes NDSF FBFA, Dutch Master, Cert. Ed owns her own floristry academy along with her business partner Julie Collins, the Academy of Floral Art. From the very beginning as a shy YTS girl Tina found a passion for floristry. This passion has opened up an amazing journey, taking her though the English floristry education, to managing a floristry business. A workshop in Scotland opened up an opportunity of spending two years living in the Netherlands studying and attaining a Dutch Masters. Later this summer America is calling, and Tina will be sitting the AIFD exam and demonstrating during the symposium. Commenting on her appointment to the BFA Training & Education Committee Tina said, “This is a very exciting opportunity”.

Sandie Griffith, Co-owner of Jemini Flower Shop in the City of Oxford has been involved in the Flower industry since 1975 when with her husband bought their first shop. Sandie first became actively involved in Floristry training in 1995 when she served on the Floristry Training Council becoming Chairman in 1996 and when they were affiliated to Lantra she stayed on as Chairman of the Floristry industry group until 2008. Professional training has always been her highest priority and all her staff are actively encouraged to obtain either vocational or professional qualifications. She has always maintained that the results are rewarding - individual achievement and pride, happy and highly motivated staff who understand how the business works best, plus satisfied customers who come back again and again, which shows on the bottom line.