The saying ‘small acorns grow into great oak trees’ resonates with me as I reflect on the Newton Abbot Flower Club, Celebrations Flower Festival held at St Paul’s Church, Devon Square, Newton Abbot, last weekend.

It was an idea suggested, talked about, planned and absolutely delivered.

When I walked into the Church on Friday morning, the ladies were already busy in their assigned areas.

The smell of the flowers hit me first, and then to see the staging in place was unbelievable! There was a mini theatre (Alexandra), a wildlife area (Devon Wildlife), a boat (Coastguard and Coastwatch), a train (South Devon Railway) to name a few.

The Jubilee Pudding put in a special appearance too, In flowers of course !

I’m very much a novice at all of this but to watch our experienced members engrossed in their arrangements was a sight to see and learn from.

I was completely overwhelmed at the wonderful sight before me.

On Saturday, the mayor, Councillor Carol Bunday, with her escort Councillor Mike Hocking, and her chaplain Ben opened the Festival and the visitors steadily came to visit and be engrossed in the floral tributes before them.

The club cannot thank all the staff at St Paul’s enough for all their kindness and support for helping us with this event.

The club’s chosen charity is Newton Abbot Hospital League of Friends and we look forward to making a donation to them.

Ladies, you are all amazing and talented. Thank you for all your hard work. Our next meeting is Monday, May 24, at the Courtney Centre. 7pm for a 7.30pm start. I really hope you can join us.