Suspended Floral Installation Workshop: dress the grade I listed Alcester Town Hall with beautiful spring flowers.

Increase your confidence, skills, and knowledge in planning, costing, and executing large scale suspended floral installations, fireplace displays and tablescapes suitable for special events such as weddings.

Price: £350

Deposit: £115 (2 x further payments of £117.50 due on 1^st February and 1st March 2024)

Date: Sunday 17^th March 2024

Time: 10-4:30pm

Location: Alcester Town Hall, Henley St, Alcester B49 5QX

At this unique and creative workshop, you will have the opportunity to gain hands on experience of building suspended floral designs, a stunning fireplace installation and opulent tablescapes from scratch using sustainable floristry techniques.

• Working with an abundance of spring florals, you will create a variety of displays; from suspended flower clouds and hoop designs to a stunning fireplace installation and opulent tablescapes.
• Your questions answered about how to sufficiently plan and cost bespoke floral displays for future clients.
• You will have the opportunity to take lots of photographs for your portfolio to show prospective wedding clients and use on social media.
• Access to professional photography and videography of our workshop to use on your socials and website.
• This workshop is a lovely chance to create and collaborate with other like-minded florists, to build your portfolio, hone your skills and increase your confidence.
• Our suspended floral installation workshop one day course is an intensive day of practical flower arranging suitable for enthusiastic beginners with a basic level of floristry skills and professional floral designers looking to build their portfolio.
• A delicious lunch, and refreshments throughout the day are included in the ticket price.

What to expect:                                                 

• Learn how to make sustainable floral mechanics with confidence.
• Practical experience of creating suspended designs such as flower clouds and hoops
• Your questions answered about how to plan and cost larger floral designs.
• Work with seasonal and locally grown British flowers.
• Professional photographs of your work in a historical setting for your portfolio and social media
• Network and socialise with other florists and flower enthusiasts.
• Pub lunch and refreshments throughout the day included.
• Armfuls of beautiful flowers to take home and enjoy.

What to bring/wear:

• All tools, equipment and flowers will be provided.
• Please wear flat closed toe shoes for health and safety.
• Wear appropriate clothing for working and flower arranging.

Terms:

• Minimum numbers are required for this event to run; however, numbers will be capped at 10 participants.
• If the event does not run due to host cancellation your deposit and any monies paid will be refunded.
• A non-refundable £115 deposit is required to secure your place followed by 2 more payments of £117.50 due on or before 01/02/24 and 01/03/24. I will contact you after booking to arrange subsequent payments, final balance must be paid by 01/03/24.
• If you have any food allergies or special dietary needs, please let me know upon booking so arrangements can be made for your lunch and refreshments.
• We are fully insured and will be working in a safe and responsible manner. You will, however, be required to sign a participation waiver and release form upon booking. Please inform us of any injuries or limitations you may have that could affect your participation.

The history of Alcester Town Hall:

Alcester Town Hall is a delightful old, beamed grade I listed building situated in the heart of the picturesque market town of Alcester, in Shakespeare’s County of Warwickshire.

In 1618 the Lord of the Manor of Alcester, Sir Fulke Greville III, provided the sum of £300 for the building of a market hall. Prior to that traders and customers would have gathered at a well and market cross which are likely to have occupied the same site.

The timber-framed upper floor, with its magnificent roof, was constructed at the later date of 1641. Look for the date carved on one of the roof beams to the west side of the hall; it has recently been confirmed by tree-ring dating of the timbers.

The arches of the ground level were open, and all kinds of produce would have been traded using the space between the pillars, particularly those which needed shelter from the sun like cheese, or expensive goods such as silk which had to be kept out of the rain.

Sir Fulke’s manorial court, the Court Leet, checked the produce, charged traders and fined them if goods were not up to scratch. Upstairs, boards display the names of High and Low Bailiffs of the manor from 1299 to the present day.

They also jailed offenders in the basement prison known as The Hole, which still exists today. Its massive oak door with iron bars is now on display in the main ground floor room. The cell was still in use as the town lock-up until about 1850 when a new police station opened in Henley Street.

In 1870 the roof was modified into the “hammerbeam” form seen today, although for a time it was concealed by a false ceiling. By this time the old market had ceased, so in 1873 the Marquess of Hertford (whose family had become Lords of the Manor in 1813) enclosed and converted the ground floor for use as the town’s magistrate’s court.

The town stocks were stored here and are on display on the ground floor. They are of unusual design with four iron wheels, ready to be pushed outside through the streets of Alcester when required.

Meet your hosts:

Ashley of Ash Tree Floral Designs is an experienced qualified florist and tutor based in Birmingham. She specialises in creative and bespoke wedding florals and workshops. Her floristry style is wild and relaxed but always beautiful and contemporary. Ashley has a passion for teaching and sharing her floral experience (and mistakes!) with others.

Ruth of Oversley Flowers is an experienced artisan flower grower and florist based in Warwickshire. She grows beautiful flowers for local people and businesses free from chemicals or pesticides. Her happiest place is working in the flower field; however she also loves arranging flowers for weddings and events using sustainable and eco-friendly techniques.

Ashley and Ruth are both passionate about sustainability and British flowers. This is their second floral installation workshop. Ashley and Ruth often work together on weddings and events creating floral displays with seasonal and locally grown flowers and using eco-friendly and sustainable floral mechanics.