FLORIST Emma Jones is hoping her skills will make her a racing certainty for a leading title next week.

For Emma, left, who works at the Little Flower Shop in Orchard Gardens, Teignmouth, is pitting herself against the cream of the country's florists in the Royal Horticultural Society's Florist of the Year at the internationally-renowned Chelsea Flower Show.

The brief: A Day at the Races, to design and make a jockey's silks, two-thirds of which must be of fresh flowers or plant material.

It is Emma's first time at Chelsea, after working in floristry for more than two years and comes almost exactly a year after joining the flower shop.

Emma, who lives in Teignmouth, has been working on her design for several weeks 'and it is very stressful,' she said.

'But I am definitely looking forward to it. It will be such an experience.'

Entrants will have a couple of hours on Wednesday evening to set up the design and it will be judged early on Thursday.

'I'm keeping my fingers crossed,' said Emma.