The Flower Festival in St Katharine’s, Holt on the last weekend in August – the first festival for over a decade – raised a staggering £1,700 towards the upkeep of this early Victorian parish church.
Over 350 visitors came from as far afield as Bath, Chippenham, Marlborough and Devizes to marvel at the stunning contemporary flower arrangements designed by well-known floral artist Margaret Murray, ably – and creatively – assisted by Jilly Heath, together with a team of talented arrangers from Holt and their friends from the Bradford-on-Avon Flower Club. The designs, celebrating the passing of summer and the arrival of autumn, were bold and dramatic. They ranged from a delicate two-tiered cascade of white and pink lisianthus, and a striking cottage summer garden border, to a modern landscape of trees finished in highly original materials, a contemporary interpretation of the famous St Katharine’s wheel, and an inspired water feature in varied shades of blue and white above the Saxon font.
Margaret summed up, “The success of our ‘Flowers by Design’ Festival owes much to the enthusiasm of the arrangers who created innovative and eye-catching modern designs in the graceful interior of the church. Many of the visitors remarked on the variety of colour and form used in the displays.
“It was a real community event, and we are delighted that our efforts have collected so much for St Katharine’s. We would like to thank everyone who supported us, and made this event such a success.”
Jilly concluded, “It’s a good feeling to know that our flowers brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people – which is what we wanted to do.”
Pictured: an impressive display at the flower festival – photo courtesy of Jennie Mizen.
