Blue is the colour for Greenisland Flower Arrangement Society’s 45th anniversary
and live on Freeview channel 276
A total of 30 members attended the celebration with Marretta Coleman, chair of the Northern Ireland Group of Flower Arrangement Societies (NIGFAS),as the special guest.
Phyllis Boyd, vice chair of NIGFAS and a member of the Greenisland club, was also in attendance at the gathering which had been postponed from May 2020.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdKatie McLean, president of Greenisland Flower Arrangement Society, greeted everyone and a welcome drink was provided on the terrace, allowing members - many of whom were wearing something blue to mark the sapphire anniversary - to enjoy the garden at the estate and catch up in the first face to face occasion since March 2020.
Alison McAuley, chair of the Greenisland club, began proceedings by inviting Marretta Coleman to accompany her in cutting the celebration cake.
Katie McLean said grace before a delightful meal was served.
The programme continued with Alison proposing a toast to NIGFAS to which Marretta responded. Short speeches and the awarding of trophies were announced by Judith de Fleury, club treasurer.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWinners in the novice class were Carolyn McWhirter, Christine Cahoon, Vera McClean and Sharon Wilson. Open class trophies were awarded to Jackie Gilmour, Jemma Boyd (tied), Phyllis Boyd and Elizabeth McJury. Marion Money and Dianne Innes shared the Mary Blair Trophy while Jacqui Anderson won the Sarah Gardner Trophy, all from competition work at club level held before lockdown, which saw meetings conducted via Zoom when committee members stepped up to help members enjoy their hobby by introducing new techniques and designs. Flowers were presented to each winner and to the NIGFAS representatives.
Special thanks were expressed to those who had made the evening special using their skills and talents: Denise Cunningham, Jean Robinson and Linda Nelson who made the corsages; Mary Carson who made the beautifully crafted placecards and table favours; Denise who made the exquisite decorations for the cake; as well as the committee members who provided the colour co-ordinated table arrangements which one member from each table was able to take home.
Sarah Gardner, as a long-serving member, provided material for the club archive and delighted members in her talk with her description of the dress code expected of flower arranging ladies in 1975 when the club was first formed in Greenisland, donning a stylish hat to illustrate her point.
The club meets in Oakfield Community Centre Oakfield Drive in Carrickfergus on the third Thursday of each month, September to May, drawing membership from all over east Antrim.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMeetings will resume on Thursday, October 21, when membership fees and magazine subscriptions will be collected and members are encouraged to “bring a friend for free”.
On that evening Colleen Hamill, a newly qualified NIGFAS area demonstrator, will demonstrate some designs entitled, ‘Just Around the Corner’.
The club would be happy to have anyone interested to join with them - new members are always welcome for times of ‘Friendship and Flowers’.
--
Click here to read: More wild flower sites in Mid and East Antrim drive ‘to improve biodiversity’
--
A message from the Editor:
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.