Charlotte Merryweather

An Exmouth student is on tenterhooks waiting to see if she has made it to the national finals of a floristry competition.

Charlotte Merryweather, 21, won an impressive third place in the regional heats of the national UK Skills competition for Intermediate Florists, in her first-ever competition.

Charlotte, who attends part-time on the Level 3 Diploma in Floristry at Bicton College, works at The Garden Shop in Budleigh Salterton.

It is only her second year of working in floristry and she now has to wait until July when all the heats have been held to see if her overall score is good enough to reach the UK Skills Floristry finals held at Tatton Park Flower show in Cheshire.

She was encouraged to enter the competition by her tutor, Sarah Hills-Ingyon, and sponsored by the college.

Charlotte said: “When given the brief of Lady Gaga and Elton John for my design, I knew this was a chance to be eccentric.

“UK Skills is a brilliant opportunity to create and showcase something exciting for your industry. I believe it is so important to stay inspired.

“Thank you to Bicton College and my employer Tracy Sampson: I couldn’t have done it without their help.”