Flower Festival to Celebrate 175th Anniversary St Mary’s , Clophill
On 7th and 8th September Clophill and District Flower Club staged a flower festival to help to celebrate the Anniversary of the Church building. The historian and curator of the Church created an exhibition with all the history and records and a timeline of events. The Club enhanced the features of the Church to make the weekend more of an attraction.
Members of the Club, both experienced arrangers and also beginners created 28 exhibits inside and outside the building. Visitors were greeted by large arrangements of sunflowers at the front door and the porch was spectacular with long designs of all garden plant material and garden flowers. One member grows flowers on her allotment and kindly brought them for these arrangements.
There was a large exhibit on the font by Doug Howard and Lesley Sturdy decorated the front windowsill to compliment the only stained glass window in the Church. The windowsills in the Nave celebrated the award winning eco church grounds with designs featuring the flowers, the wildlife, the trees and shrubs.
The focus at the front was a display of the Church vestments with colour complimentary arrangements by Chris Rogers, Sue Kerr and Margaret Sudderby. Ann Swain created an unusual pedestal arrangement in front to the pulpit in creams and browns. The lectern looked beautiful in white and purple arranged by Kate Smith. In front of the choir stalls there was a long low design in blue and yellow with fantastic blue hydrangeas that visitors felt they had to check they were real!
Another feature of the Church is the striking hanging of Christus Rex that I highlighted in blue, yellow and white. There were many colourful arrangements that filled the Church with flowers of all colours.
There was a Preview Evening attended by Professor Dame Helen Atkinson Dl and during the weekend there were lots of visitors from the Village, the Club and further afield, many coming on both days to read all the history and information that was on show – and also to see the flowers again!
All the exhibits were generously sponsored by businesses and individuals. This was a celebration rather than a fundraiser but £1,600 was raised towards the upkeep of the Church building. It was a special celebration of all the talents and skills that we have in our thriving Club. Members enjoyed working together and they created exhibits of a very high standard that were appreciated by all the visitors.
Carolyn Cranswick
Chairman of Clophill and District Flower Club