In December of 2019, which seems like such a long time ago now, we won the nationwide competition to make and present a Christmas wreath to Number 10 Downing Street, beating about 40 different suppliers and growers to the top spot.
With brothers Toby and Ben Ryley from Friezeland Farm Christmas Trees (the winner of the Christmas Tree growing and supply leg of the comp) and using materials and stock from the farm we went for a noble blue foliage which is very hardy for the milder weather, and thanks to Stephanie Stanley’s skill as an accomplished wreath creator, this looked amazing from the start. Stephanie (an old friend of Ben’s) has provided Christmas Wreaths to the farm for the last 14 years. It was Toby’s entry into the competition that won the place.
Upon deciding on the design of the Christmas wreath Stephanie said; “I’d looked at previous years wreaths and wanted to do something different and out of the box” and add my own signature style of course! “I wanted it to be different and stand out. I thought that the oranges (pictured) would look great on the black door as well.” We’ve been trying for 4 years with various entries into the competition and this year came true.
On the day it came to hang the wreath; “We drove up to the gates and we were getting very nervous! I said I’m getting butterflies, I’m getting so nervous!” reports Stephanie. Ben was too!
I made 2 Christmas Wreaths (the other one for Number 12). The first wreath took about 45 minutes to make and the second one took me about 30 minutes to make. We had to be careful that the right colours were used and that the theme was neutrally correct. It was also nice to add a bit of Leicestershire to one of the most famous doors in the country!
The BCTGA (British Christmas Tree Growers Association) competition is a well-respected and competitive event within the floristry, grower and creative industry, and to win it is a real achievement to get recognition for fabulous work. It’s been a surreal experience seeing the Christmas Wreath on the door; on the news and on social media since.
We also had a guided tour around Number 10 and walked up the famous staircase and met Larry the fabulous cat. Borris was busy as he was getting ready for the summit and everyone arriving and getting Brexit done so we couldn’t meet him. However, we were invited back just before Christmas but I didn’t go as was too busy, but the Ryley family went and they met Borris.
After the initial wreath presentation day, we went for an interview with Radio Leicester. I was very proud for representing my home city and took an example wreath to the studio, which they kept! As a result (of all of this and a very hectic week in December), lots of customers were calling and asking how they could create the now famous Xmas wreath through the classes that I run and wreaths that I sell. (We are working on (safe!) Wreath Making Workshop dates for this year, so please stay tuned).
We were also featured in the Hinckley Times and on Fosse Radio too.
Larry – The Night Before Christmas – Number 10 (24th December 2019)