It’s official; flowers make you happy. So say eminent scientists – and so concur hundreds of students who’ve mastered a bridal posy, perfected a pedestal arrangement or created an elaborate floral archway at The Cambridge Flower School. It’s not hard to see why the school – located within Edwardian manor house Newton Hall – is so popular, it attracts pupils from as far afield as Mauritius and Shanghai.
Crossing the threshold, you’re hit by the heavenly scent of perfumed blooms, and inspiration is all around, vases bursting with huge lime hydrangea heads, heady stocks, bright ranunculus and cheerful chrysanthemums.
Owner Sarah Clerke and fellow teacher Gussie Sneddon are warmth personified, incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. Teaching is Sarah’s first love; she started her career as a graphics teacher before retraining as a florist, and has a wealth of experience, having owned two florist shops and worked all over Europe as a project manager for a teleflorist.
The school launched four years ago after Sarah began teaching floristry to friends, and her classes were in such demand, she outgrew the venues. Starting off with a few workshops – Halloween pumpkins and hand tied bouquets – the team now teach a staggering selection of courses, ranging from an evening wedding bouquet workshop, to a week-long intensive career course, aimed at those considering venturing into commercial floristry, and covering all aspects, from flower buying to website designing.
The flower school prides itself on being accessible and affordable, attracting students from all walks of life, and Sarah’s greatest reward is seeing graduates go on to set up their own businesses.
With exciting courses being developed, plans to expand the school and an additional member of staff joining, The Cambridge Flower School looks set to flourish for a long time to come.
The Cambridge Flower School
Newton Hall, Town Street
Newton
Cambridgeshire
CB22 7ZE
Tel: 01223 655661
www.thecambridgeflowerschool.co.uk
Discover unique boutiques and boutique hotels mingled with communities of artists and craftspeople. Sample an award-winning restaurant or thriving little café tucked away in a back street – all easy to locate via the comprehensive Independent Cambridge directory. It features hundreds of local traders, artists, makers, producers, venues and events – all of which play a part in the real life of the city and local area. Run by long-term residents with a true passion for all things indie, the site is packed with valuable insider knowledge of the local scene. And whoever you are - resident or visitor; whatever you search for, read about and choose to visit, you can be sure it’s independent!