Based in Newbury, Helen Vickers and her small team of talented florists create wonderful fresh flower arrangements for the Reception desk, in Chapel and the Headmistress’s Office on a weekly basis as well as providing beautiful floral arrangements for School events, ranging from Open Mornings to Parents’ Meetings and House Charity Gala Dinners to Parents’ Lunches.  

The biggest event in the School calendar is Founder’s Weekend which is attended by 1200 girls, parents, alumnae and staff and is closely followed by Leavers’ Day. The Catering Department enlists the help of Helen and her team to design a floral theme for the marquee and the Main Dining Room for the traditional Founder’s Tea served on Saturday and Sunday – this year, all the lovely table arrangements were in original vintage teapots. At the formal lunch for parents and their daughters on Leavers’ Day, the table arrangements were of a more formal design featuring seasonal flowers.

Catering and Events Manager, Mrs Sarah Dyson said, “The flower arrangements for Founder’s Weekend, Leavers’ Day and also the opening of the Murray Centre were all absolutely stunning and I would like to thank Helen and her team for always coming up with such original and imaginative arrangements, not just for these big events but throughout the year. Nothing is ever too much trouble for Helen and I am delighted that we have established such an excellent working relationship which I hope will continue for many years to come.” 

Willow & Blooms was established in 2012 and prides itself on understanding the importance of the individuality of each order and creating beautiful bouquets or arrangements for every occasion. In March 2019 following a rigorous evaluation process, Willow & Blooms was accepted into the exclusive Good Florist Guide, the gold standard of floristry and the only merit-based guide to the finest florists in the UK and Republic of Ireland.