REASEHEATH College floristry students proved they’ve got the X Factor after sweeping the board at a regional contest.
The first three places in the intermediate section of the WorldSkills UK regional heat went to students who are studying for their Level 3 Diploma in Floristry at the college.
The competition, hosted by Reaseheath, attracted competitors from other colleges and from within the industry.
It was the first of a series of regional competitions organised by the British Floristry Association (BFA) to find the UK’s best young florists.
The highest scoring competitors across all heats are invited to a UK final at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July.
The highest placed there will be considered for the GB squad at the WorldSkills competition in Leipzig in 2013. WorldSkills is the largest vocational skills competition in the world and has 50 member nations.
For the competition, students had to create a dinner table design for a stylish after-show party. The designs were judged by a national panel of judges from the Floristry Judges&apos; Guild, WorldSkills staff and moderators.
Reaseheath students took the three top places. The winner was Victoria Tempest from Manchester, Vicky Carr from Nantwich took second place and Hollie Thompson from Sandbach was third.
Said Victoria, 18: “I was delighted with the result and received some really useful feedback from the judges.
BFA moderator Deborah Richardson said: “This event is designed to identify talented and eligible florists who have the potential to be trained to join the WorldSkills UK squad and represent their country.
“The selection procedure is very rigorous and even those who win at the national final are not guaranteed a team place.