CEFAA Magazine April 2019

From the Chairman
In the beginning... These words described the first tableaux of our
Flower Festival in September 1979 and therefore it is appropriate that
those same words should start the first Newsletter of our Association
for it was from the Festival that the idea of this venture blossomed.
It was a small band of workers with little experience that contemplated
a major festival during the celebrations in Rainhill for the “Rocket 150”
year. The experience of working together in the church over this project
indicated to me that I wanted to join other communicants in a
nationwide society of church flower arrangers. I made enquiries locally
and in London only to find there was no such organisation.
This to me was a challenge which called for further action. My husband
put on paper for me a rough draft of an association which I could take
to my Vicar and ask if I might have permission to go forward to higher
authority with my idea. So it was that the Rt.Rev.Michael Henshall,
Bishop of Warrington, gave his blessing to the formation of the Church
of England Flower Arrangers Association. St. Ann’s, Rainhill, was to
be the founder church.
During the ensuing three months whilst the Diocesan solicitor put legal
wheels in motion, my Flower Guild helped me to raise the necessary
monies for the initial expenses.
With the money raised we had to turn our thoughts to the design of an
emblem for the stationery and badge. Many thoughts and drawings were
submitted but it was the one by Alan Owen, the husband of a Guild
member, that was finally chosen for it seemed to encompass the
thoughts and work of a church flower arranger.
Although the Association was known locally in the Autumn of 1981 it
was not until December that insertions in the Diocesan Newsletter and
the Church Times announced it nationally
At the end... It is interesting to note that although this seems a short
story, two years had elapsed between the first idea and the first member.
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