20-year-old Hannah Beckley from Evesham in Worcestershire has been a florist since leaving school and is currently studying Level 4 at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire.
A keen competitor, Hannah recently won gold in the UK Floristry Judges Guild ‘Simply Spring’ competition and in autumn 2021 she was invited to be part of the Fabulous Flowers team from Oxford, who won a Silver Gilt at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Hannah is also in the squad for UK WorldSkills, competing for a place to represent Great Britain in Shanghai in 2022
Hannah Beckley wearing one of her competition pieces What flowers and plants do you have at home at the moment?
Currently I have a selection of cacti, Epipremnum aureum Devils Ivy, ZZ plant, and a few more house plants.
Are you a night owl or up with the lark?
I can’t do late nights at all; I am definitely a morning person.
Who has been an inspiration to you in your career?
There’s a few but my main two would have to be Iza Tkaczyk and Mark Pampling.
They both have a completely different approach to their designs which show plant material off both as a whole and individually successfully.
What's the best piece of advice you've been given?
Not to hide who I am but to express who I am in my work. Not to be ashamed of being different and standing out from the crowd.
What is your favourite time of the day at work?
I’d say afternoon, where you can see where you got to and the progression of the day and look back and know what you have accomplished that morning.
Where/who do you look to for design inspiration?
I have a few different places; on Instagram I’ll look at commercial work and different shops, what’s on trend etc, and then I will also look at florists in different countries to see what they have trending, I will also look at well-known florists for inspiration for competition work.
Do you have a favourite season?
I love autumn, all the different colours and the trees losing their leaves; gorgeous.
What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
To dive into any opportunity that comes your way and not to shy away.
How do you feel about competition floristry?
I love competing, it gives me a chance to be able to show off skill and style in floristry that you don’t get to do on a daily basis, coming up with a new framework for a new design is very exciting.
Which do you prefer, Mother's Day or Valentines?
Mother’s Day, seeing children excited to pick a bouquet for their mum is lovely, to see that all ages love flowers, even children.
