A BUDDING student from Wrexham scooped an award for her floristry skills.

Amanda Griffiths, 48, a mature student at the Welsh College of Horticulture in Northop, competed against other trainee florists at the Wales Skills Floristry Competition held at the RHS Garden Show in Cardiff.

The contest, organised by the Welsh College of Horticulture, is part of Skills Competition Wales which is supported by the National Assembly for Wales and part-funded through the European Social Fund.

Competitors battled it out in two rounds – those with two years experience or less, and those with two to seven years, in a day of challenging design briefs aimed at testing their creative and technical skills.

Amanda won the heat for those with fewer than two years experience, and Charlotte Cooks, 22, of Abergavenny, won the other heat.

Amanda only started studying floristry in September after 30 years in the finance industry.

She said: “I was surprised and thrilled to win, especially as I was up against some more experienced florists.”