'Friendship through flowers' as club celebrates 65 years two years late
Friendship and creativity are at the heart of a flower arrangement club celebrating a special anniversary.
Members of Wolverhampton Flower Arrangement Club were finally able to celebrate the club's 65th anniversary at Codsall Village Hall with a get-together on Wednesday, September 13.
The club, which was formed in 1955, had intended to celebrate the event in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions meant the anniversary celebrations were delayed by two years.
However, for club secretary Lesley Woolley, the wait was worth it.
She said: "It's just brilliant to celebrate our 65th anniversary, having been set up in 1955, and just as tremendous that we're still going after all this length of time, even having endured Covid, so it's a real triumph.
"We were even supposed to have the Mayor of Wolverhampton down, but she had to decline following the Queen's death, so we've had a lot of hurdles to go over."
The event on Wednesday was a way to celebrate the achievements of the club over 67 years, and also reflect on what made it so special, with Ms Woolley saying the motto of the club said everything about it.
She said: "We meet once a month on the second Tuesday, with the majority of our membership being women, and we sit and watch professional demonstrators make about six arrangements.
"We also just share friendship and the motto of the club is 'Friendship through flowers', so we have a nice chat and a get-together and see some beautiful flower arrangements being created.
"I've been a member now for nearly 20 years and joined as I wanted to do something different when I retired, and found this was the first thing I enjoyed and have done every since."
Ms Woolley said the club had produced some members with high standard work, including one who had made an exhibition at Westminster Abbey and a number of other members who had competed locally and nationally.
She said the aims for the club going forward was to keep going and recruit new members.
"Hopefully, we can carry on doing what we are doing, as I know a lot of clubs are going through a tough time at the moment, and bring in new members," she said.
"It's all about getting them interested in flowers and flower arrangements and just being able to make some new friends as well."
To find out more about the club and to sign up, go to nafasmnw.org.uk/wolverhampton-flower-arrangement-club, nafas.org.uk or call 01902 744613
