Battle of the buds at the RHS Show Tatton Park
Bored of the Eurovision Song contest? Yawning at the thought of the World Cup? Well, it’s all about the battle of the buds in 2010, as Europe’s most talented florists compete to be named champion at the final of Eurofleurs 2010 taking place at the RHS Show Tatton Park (21-25 July).
Eurofleurs is organised by FLORINT, the international organisation of florists, representing the national organisations of 20 European countries, created with the intention of bringing together the different nations as well as raising the profile of up and coming floristry talent.
The competition began in 1998 and rapidly established itself as one of the highlights of the international floristry calendar. It takes place every four years, with a different member country hosting each final.
As a celebration of new creativity in the industry, it’s only open to florists under the age of 25, all of which have to undergo a series of tough trials in their own country before being selected as the candidate to represent their nation in the final. Only one applicant from each country can reach the final.
Although England’s chances in the World Cup may be uncertain, Eurofleurs 2010 will be a guaranteed opportunity to celebrate, with this year’s event being organised by the BFA and taking place at the North’s greatest gardening show, the RHS Show Tatton Park.
Flying the flag for Britain will be Joe Massie from Liverpool, who is tipped to go all the way and help banish the blues of past Eurovision singing disasters. Joe has an excellent floral pedigree having already won at five national competitions including RHS Chelsea Young Florist of the Year. He has often been referred to as the most talented florist of his generation.
In pursuit of the top prize, Joseph and his competitors will be set five tasks, each themed around the concept of “art at Tatton Park”, which they will have to complete at the show within the British Florist Association Marquee. Tatton Park is one of the most historic estates in the UK, with over 50 acres of gardens to inspire the young competitors. The display will have to demonstrate both their creativity and technical ability to make sure they don’t receive nil points from the judges.
Visitors to the RHS Show Tatton Park will be able to visit the marquee during the competition and see how the contestants’ work is progressing. The competition will commence the day before the show opens (20th July) and visitors will be able to see the contestants’ work displayed until Friday 23 July.
The fate of the competitors then rests in the hands of members of the UK floristry judges guild, plus international judges from FLORINT who will decide who has what it takes to walk away with the Eurofleurs cup and be named 2010 champion! The judging panel is made up of European representation including; Great Britain, Germany, Poland, Croatia and Italy.
Denis Van Wonderen, events director for the BFA, comments: “Winning this competition is the highest accolade that a young florist can achieve, so the rivalry will no doubt be intense. However, Eurofleurs is all about bringing together the international floristry community to grow and share ideas, so it’s an amazing opportunity for everyone taking part.”
RHS show manager for Tatton, Kris Hulewicz adds: “Eurofleurs 2010 will be one of the big showpieces of the RHS Show Tatton Park 2010. This event is the world cup of floristry and the standard is always thrilling, so it’s wonderful that visitors will get the opportunity to experience it first hand and soak up the atmosphere of excitement and friendly rivalry.”
Here’s a snapshot of this year’s contestants and what they will bring to the competition:
The natural
NAME: Joe Massie
AGE: 24
REPRESENTING: Great Britain
STRENGHTS: A natural florist with an amazing track record in national competitions, everyone is expecting Joe to go all the way in this competition!
The artist
NAME: Pavel Chernyak
AGE: 22
REPRESENTING: Russia
STRENGHTS: An artist with a strong creative vision, Pavel is one of Russia’s rising stars and has already authored several publications on floristry in his native country.
The romantic
NAME: Fabio Cicero
AGE: 23
REPRESENTING: Italy
STRENGHTS: Definitely the ladies favourite, Fabio brings a natural flair and energy to his work and has all the skills and training at his disposal to knock out the competition.
The nature lover
NAME: Eldrid Sundan
AGE: 25
REPRESENTING: Norway
STRENGHTS: Eldrid grew up in a family of florists and takes her inspiration from the natural environment in the Norwegian countryside – a dark horse in the competition!
The trendsetter
NAME: Janneke Roland
AGE: 25
REPRESENTING: Netherlands
STRENGHTS: A modern approach and a pioneer of new trends in floristry, you can expect something different from this competitor.
The RHS Show Tatton Park takes place between 21-25 July 2010. To find out more or to purchase tickets visit: rhs.org.uk/tatton