Wickham Market Flower Club
Report for meeting held on 27th February 2025
Our second meeting of 2025 was on a drizzly miserable evening. Luckily some 40
members and visitors braved the weather along with the numerous diversions and
temporary traffic lights, to join us. June welcomed everyone and said how lovely and
refreshing it was to see so many smiling faces.
Notices included a reminder for members to sign up for the “ Hands on” meeting on
Thursday 27th March. Requirement details and signing up for this are available from a
committee member if needed.
On 2 th April we have our “Open Meeting” with the lovely and very talented Barbara
Collins. “Flowers,Fun and Friendship”. Tickets are available now priced at £5 for
members and £10 for visitors. This promises to be a thrilling evenings entertainment
so do book you ticket soon. There will also a sales table, raffle and refreshments.
Our Fashion show this year is on Friday 16 th May at Wickham Market Village Hall.
Clothes and accessories from Chaffinch Ladies clothes shop in Woodbridge. Models
are needed for this so if you have a burning desire to strut the cat walk please do
contact a committee member. More details nearer the time.
The Practice piece Advanced was won by Sue Cotton, the Novice was won by Carly
and the Single stem was won by Jenny Sheppard.
June then introduced us to Roger Woolnough from Aldringham who is a great friend
of our club. A very talented demonstrator who is also Chairman of Aldeburgh Flower
Club and Vice Chairman of Area.
Starting with a Hogarth Curve design, Roger proceeded to tell us a bit about himself.
He passed his Area demonstrators test in 1992 and his National demonstrators test
in 1997. However with only three more demonstrations to do, he is looking forward to
moving on in a different roll. All the while he was chatting he was putting together,
Broome, Pittosporum Tom Thumb with its lovely coppery brown leaf. Dried
Hydrangea heads, Senecio, and Pink Carnations and spiky shaggy pink Gerbera to
finish his first stunning arrangement.
His early career in 1977 began as a ladies hairdresser, with a salon in Halesworth.
He retired from this in 2017. Exchanging one type of scissors for another.
His second design used some old Ivy wood from a wall, along with some bark
arranged with tubes onto a cube tray. With thanks to a local well known store, Roger
had purchased some beautiful orange roses. He says there are often some good
purchases to be made from local shops as well as local wholesalers. He also used
some choisya which with its lovely lime leaves, and some tulips placed in the tubes
to pick up the colour of the roses nicely.
Further arrangements followed, a beautiful Meadow design had us taking an
imaginary walk in a spring/summer field. Material placed as it would grow naturally.
Twigs for height and lots of textures. This is a new style in the NAFAS competition
manual . We could all see why, as it was a stunning bright cheerful arrangement.
Roger reminded us of the Suffolk Show dates – 28 th and 29 th May. The NAFAS
competition schedule is available now with a theme of Music and Novice theme of
Nursery Rhymes. He also said the Homes and Gardens exhibition in Ely Cathedral
will also have some floral competitions. Look on the website for more details.
Using some really interesting containers and methods Roger produced some six
arrangements in all. Each one was a wonderful show of his expertise. Val Green
thanked Roger for giving us a lovely evening with some amazing designs, and said
he must not retire any time soon as he would be missed tremendously.
After refreshments, some lucky members won Roger’s designs in the raffle and left
the hall with very happy faces.
Please join us for our meetings. Your First visit is FREE.
Mandy Pryke
Comments