Aiming to 'bring it home' at Interflora World Cup!
Beans, miles and a bit of welding! Just part of the eight month journey for Lizzie Newcombe, the UK's representative in the Interflora World Cup. Not just the BIGGEST competition in the world, but happening for the very first time in the UK ... at the iconic Manchester Central Convention Complex in the heart of Manchester to be precise ... on September 7 - 9.
There, 20 of the worlds finest florists will compete head to head in a series of timed heats to win the ultimate accolade - Interflora World Champion. For the UK, who has already won the compeition an unprecedented three times, the delightful and oh so talented Lizzie Newcombe will be aiming for a 4th. But, as we discovered when we caught up with her to find out how it's been going and what she has had deal with, for Lizzie it really is the taking part that counts!
Mass mileage, Beans and a bit of Welding!
The bonkers world of an Interflora World Cup contestant!
We’re meeting at 06.30 at Tom Brown Wholesale in Southeast London. Lizzie Newcombe has driven the 2 hours from Chichester, having spent 5 hours on the road the day before and there’s still a fair few miles to go before the final drive up to Manchester, England when she can finally, as she puts it, ‘crack on’ and get the job done.
But for Lizzie, the engaging and incredibly talented young florist (she’s just 26) who will represent the UK in the Interflora World Cup at the beginning of September, being on the road for hours on end has been par for the course in her quest to become not only the youngest winner but possibly the 4th British florist to scoop the title.
Not that she ever dreamt of doing it. “Obviously I did my best in the heats, but it wasn’t until I won that the enormity of what was to come hit me.”
You see being a World Cup contestant is totally different to any other competition. Not only is it the largest and probably most prestigious title a florist can achieve, but winners can expect opportunities on a global basis to come their way.
That said it also comes with a whole load of challenges that are a long way off just trying to interpret a schedule and create the most beautiful designs.
And why it has been an 8-month slog to not only prepare, practice and perfect the three designs she knows she has to make but at the same time run her own shop see the business through three challenging peaks and do all the weddings she had booked in way before she won!
“It’s been bonkers ... 16-hour days became the norm and my poor van has never done so many miles since I started the process!” A process that began when the schedules were announced in January and Lizzie and her team could actually get down to the nitty gritty of preparing.
“I knew I was doing it back in July 2022 but until the schedules came out there wasn’t a lot I could do apart from keeping the diary clear for most of August and September and working my socks off to build up a cash reserve.”
Because competing at this level doesn’t come cheap. Yes, Interflora have provided a fund which covered the props and her accommodation in Manchester is also covered but on top of that Lizzie had to factor in loss of earnings – she has shut the shop for four weeks to make sure she can focus on the final stages - and find the budget to cover the flowers. Not just for the final installations but all the practice runs as well; the many hours spent making - and remaking - the three designs she knows about never mind studying the protocols, rules and timings ... this is working ‘to the second’ at its tightest.
Enter Tom Brown Wholesale who have, with an open line of credit, quite simply made Lizzie’s entry possible. A customer of theirs since she opened her boutique florist shop, The Botanical Company near Guildford four years ago – she is a member of the prestigious Good Florist Guide – it was a chance conversation with John Davidson at a BFA event that saw Tom Brown sponsor her for the Interflora Florist of the Year heats and they’ve shared the journey ever since.
What’s more Tom Brown Wholesale ... which was started back in 1975 by Tom Brown as a single-story cash and carry and now boasts 22,000 sq ft in London along with branches in Huddersfield and Carlisle and a turnover in excess of £25 million ... is now a Platinum sponsor of the World Cup providing all the flowers for the three surprise package elements – the security over what’s in each one is tighter than Fort Knox - as well as being part sponsor for the Floral Fundamentals programme of demonstrations.
Given that’s one heck of a flower bill why do it? John Davidson explained. “I was interested in what Lizzie was doing. Competition work wasn’t something I had seen first-hand and another world to our normal every day commercial work.
Not only did we want to see through the journey we started with Lizzie last year, but it was a chance to recognise my uncle who started the business as a one-man band and has built it up to this incredible multimillion second generation run operation. We fly under the radar most of the time but if you’re going to ‘get out there’ then the Interflora World Cup is a pretty good place to do it!
From a product perspective the opportunity to do something different is amazing; it’s been a learning curve for us and we’re seeing varieties we would normally never stock.”
At which point John’s mobile pings and there are big discussions between him and Lizzie over a precise flower colour which is then relayed back to Duyvenwoorde, the Dutch export company Tom Brown works with and who will be responsible for bringing in the flowers. Oh yes and some very special plants that Lizzie flew over to the Netherlands to personally select from the grower, but which very nearly didn’t make it!!
“I had a colour in my mind, but it was hard to describe so the easiest thing was to fly to the Netherlands, go to the grower and pick out the ones I wanted. Trouble is the grower sent them into the wholesaler, someone saw them and decided they would buy them! Fortunately, they were tracked down and retrieved but it was a bit of a ‘moment’!
As for the Beans ... we’re not even going to mention colour as we don’t want to give anything away and you never know who is reading!! ... that’s a whole other story but, you’ve guessed it, involved another marathon drive!!
But whilst Tom Brown Wholesale and John Davidson have the supply side sorted out – something Lizzie admits provides an immeasurable level of confidence - the actual placement of the flowers has been a whole other ball game. And on this Lizzie pays huge thanks to Moreton Morrell College, her mentors Laura Leong - the UK representative in the Interflora World Cup back in 2019 - lead tutor at Moreton Morrell College Jane Benefield who has mentored other winners too not least Catey Burn who competed in Eurofleurs last month and her amazing assistant Charlotte Davies who she first met at the FOY semis in April 22 and went on to narrowly beat in the finals!
“Charlotte is amazing ... she’s a totally can-do type of florist, knows the drill and just gets on with it. We’re very similar and whilst she can’t do any of the placement work ... that is totally down to me ... having her by my side is amazing. As for Jane and Laura I can hardly say how grateful I am. Not just for their wisdom and technical support but for all the guidance they’ve given me to get me to this stage.”
And then of course there is her family. Not just for moral support but a whole lot more too as Lizzie explained. “A competition on this scale is as much about engineering and construction as the flower placement. Fortunately, Dad is an engineer and thanks to Moreton Morrell donating a workshop during the summer break, could help build the metal constructions – his welding knowledge was very useful - whilst my boyfriend Jack is a carpenter and has built a lot of the other elements so, as well as being my wingman, he knows how to put everything together!”
So, six days and counting before the competition kicks off how does Lizzie feel? “I’d be lying if I didn’t say there are some jitters but equally I know I have done everything I can; I don’t think I could have done any more practice ... well not if I wanted to get some sleep or have a life! I am so lucky it is on my home turf ... that has made a huge difference but once I’m at the venue and in my booth I’ll just crack on and do it. To win would be amazing but actually taking part is pretty amazing too so I’m going to enjoy it.”
And enjoying it is the advice she gives to any other young florist setting out on their floristry career. “When I was 16 and starting at Merrist Wood College I never imagined 10 years later I’d be representing my country ... I saw my career being wedding and events. But when I saw what Laura (Leong) did, I realised that competitions could open a whole new direction so went out and did everything I could. It didn’t always work ... I came last in the first World Skills competition I entered and didn’t want to do it again ... but I did and have enjoyed everything I have done. Floristry is an amazing profession with everything to go for. Never fear failure, grab every opportunity going and who knows where it could take you.”
As far as we at Florist Magazine are concerned, having watched Lizzie over the years, we reckon it could take her right to the top ... here’s fingers, toes and eyes crossed!
Lizzie at a glance
2014: Started studying at Merrist Wood
2017: Wins UK Skills Silver Medal
2018: Gains highest marks in the Higher National Master Diploma in Professional Floristry.
2019: Takes 5th place and Medallion of Excellence at the World Skills
2019: Wins RHS Chelsea Young Florist of the Year and Gold Medal
2019: Opens her own shop
2021: Wins the Good Florist Guide Retail Florist of the Year Award
2022: Wins the Interflora Florist of the Year title
2023: Is the UK representative in the Interflora World Cup Competition
The Interflora World Cup Contestants
Meet all the contestants
The Interflora World Cup Tasks
Working to the theme ‘Our Natural World’ and using only sustainable floristry practices, all 20 contestants will be asked to create three set pieces: a Table for Two, a Canopy and a Bridal design. In addition, they will all have to complete one surprise item.
The highest scoring ten contestants will then create a second surprise design on Friday evening and from those 10 the final five will be asked to create a third surprise design on Saturday evening at the Grand Finale and Dinner.
At 10.30 PM on Saturday September 9th the ultimate winner will be announced.
Be part of the buzz
If you want to see Lizzie in action there are still tickets available for the day time activites which includes seeing the contestants at work as well as a whole host of dems, talks and music, all included in the daily ticket price of £28 or you can buy a three day pass and save 10%. To find out more about this 'once in a lifetime' event click here
