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The Club is usually asked to arrange the poppies for Remembrance Day in Norwich Cathedral. We have a box of large silk poppies that belong to the Club for this. The last time we arranged the poppies was in 2018, as something changed in 2019 and of course Covid-19 hit us last year.
The arrangements on the walls were made by Janet Morgan and our Secretary Alex Pinder. The pedestals were made up by our Treasurer Penny Mills and Tricia Loades, who was helped by our Chairman Tricia Godfrey. This year was different for us as there was no green foam to arrange in. Norwich Cathedral has gone ‘Foam free’. In the bottom of our containers there were some white plastic bottles with chicken wire or plastic mesh over the top. Even though we were not allowed to use oasis, I think we all made a good job with the arrangements.
We were also hampered as the Cathedral was suffering a power cut, which came on as we had finished the arrangements.
We sent some photos to NAFAS East Facebook page and we had lots of lovely comments about the arrangements, so thank you.
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I live in Rutland and was so pleased that you were able to arrange without floral foam at Norwich Cathedral. I was a member of Stamford Flower club for twenty or so years but have not been recently as they are still allowing demonstrators to use the foam despite the effect it has on wildlife etc. I organise the local church flower rota and am unable to convince several of the ladies it is possible to arrange with chicken wire etc. I personally prefer the more natural looking arrangements so it is not so much if a problem for me. Do you have any information on how you used the plastic bottles with the wire netting as that might be helpful?
I was so pleased that Norwich Cathedral are foam free as I feel that the government should impose a ban for say 12 months time and then the floral foam industry would have to produce an alternative that is environmentally friendly.
Anyway I enjoyed reading your blog and wish you and your members all the best for the future.
Jane
Hello Jane,
I am pleased that someone looks at our website! I hope you enjoyed reading our posts and all the photos. I have been on since you looked and put some more on with last years poppies in Norwich Cathedral.
With regard to the Cathedral Poppies, the flower guild team made up the containers. They had bronze coloured containers that were very large and in the bottom they had stuck lots of white plastic Yoplait bottles. They were big enough to stand a large stem in and also you could place them in the gaps. Then over the top of the container they had put some chicken wire and sort of ‘stuffed’ it in to make it stay. Although this was the first pedestal I had done without foam, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The only down side is that you can’t angle the foliage down the side of the pedestal unless you have a piece that falls that way.
A problem that our Secretary had with her arrangement on the Parsley tomb last year was that the bottles had come unstuck from the bottom of the container. So when I helped her it was a case of putting foliage and poppies in where we could. Another thing is once you put something in you can’t really easily get it out again.
I think once your flower ladies do one they will see it isn’t quite so bad as they thought!
I hope this helps.
Best wishes.
Tricia
Vice-Chairman and website administrator(and lots of other positions too!)
Loddon Flower Club