Popular flower festival to return to Salisbury Cathedral in the spring
30,000 blooms set to fill famous building
Over 200 flower arrangers gathered in person at Salisbury Cathedral and online via live stream to launch the 2022 Flower Festival.
Designed by Michael Bowyer, the Cathedral's Creative Director of Flowers and floral designers Angela Turner and Pam Lewis it'll take place from the 10th -15th May.
It was originally due to be held last year to celebrate the Cathedral's 800th anniversary but has had to be rescheduled due to the pandemic.
That milestone event will still be reflected in the theme along with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
There will also be floral tributes to keyworkers who have helped through the pandemic. Walk-through ‘rainbow’ arches will created to remember them and thank them, along with the many volunteers who have supported their communities over the last two years.
Around 30,000 blooms will be used in the displays.
A previous event in 2015 attracted thousand of visitors and was widely praised.
Michael Bowyer, Creative Director of Flowers at Salisbury Cathedral is looking forward to next year's event.
“Every church and every flower club in the diocese and local area, from North Wiltshire down to Dorset, parts of Wessex, Guernsey and Jersey, have been invited to participate. The response has been terrific and, starting in early 2022, we will be working with these wonderful volunteers in a series of workshops and participatory events, to prepare for the festival in May.”
Susan Branch, Salisbury Cathedral’s Flower Administrator said:
“It is wonderful to be getting on with the festival planning after the delay caused by the pandemic. However, lockdown and restrictions did have some unexpected benefits as far as Cathedral flowers are concerned. It gave us time to think hard about how our arrangements could be made more sustainable. For example, we are now using wire instead of oasis foam. Visitors will see evidence of those changes in the Cathedral today, and in the floral sculptures and arrangements at the festival.”
Tickets for Celebration: A Festival of Flowers are now on sale via the Cathedral website