A TALENTED Evesham floristry student has been named in the WorldSkills UK squad after a blossoming performance at the national championships.
Hannah Beckley, who attends Moreton Morrell College, wowed the judges at the WorldSkills UK event in Birmingham in November with her intricate arrangements which, according to competition chiefs, ‘demonstrated an elite level of flair and creativity’.
Along with fellow floristry student Clara Agnew from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Antrim, Hannah will now undertake an intensive two-year programme and receive training from some of the UK’s foremost floristry experts.
The training process will be fitted around their study and employment commitments and aims to bring them up to world class standard before the UK names its team to compete in the WorldSkills World Championships in Shanghai in 2021.
“It’s exciting but also quite overwhelming. WorldSkills is a really huge event – not only in the UK but across the whole world – and if I make it into the final team then I’ll be competing among the most talented florists in Europe,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to starting the training and expanding my floristry skills and hopefully getting picked to represent the UK at EuroSkills in September.”
Hannah’s WorldSkills UK squad selection proved she is no shrinking violet, but were it not for her timidness she might not have ever got involved in floristry.
Hannah added: “When I was 15 I had to choose between two options for my work experience – a pet shop or a florist.Loads of people from school used to come into the pet shop so, because I was a little bit shy, I chose the florist so I wouldn’t see them.
“I spent a week working in the flower shop and absolutely loved it. After I’d finished, I looked into doing a college course and was really pleased to discover that Moreton Morrell College offer courses,” she added.
