AN award-winning florist will be leading a college’s new high-level floristry qualifications, it has been announced.

Lecturer Rebecca Hough, based in the East Durham College’s Houghall campus in Durham, will head up the Level 3 qualification, designed to equip students with the skills to create more intricate designs and compete in national competitions.

Ms Hough, who previously studied at Houghall herself, won a RHS Gold Award at the Chelsea Flower Show as part of a team of florists selected from around the country by Interflora in 2014.

The year before, she took an individual RHS Silver Award at Chelsea for her commercial work.

She said: “Level 3 is an opportunity to study beyond general shop work. Competitive floristry is completely different to retail.

“If you are a creative person and interested in flowers, you don’t appreciate what is involved until you come to study. A lot people come from other areas – hairdressers etc – even if they’ve never done floristry before.”

Level 2 courses, also run at the Houghall campus, set up florists for shop work but Level 3, starting in September also equips them to manage a retail outlet.

Land-based curriculum manager Chris Francis said: “Rebecca joined us quite recently and is someone who really knows the industry and the business. She’s always up to learn new things and has won numerous awards both locally and nationally.

“The introduction of Level 3 shows a real ambition at the college to produce award winning students and florists. Rebecca is a top florist and students will want to work with her and learn from all the experience she has under her belt.”

For more information visit eastsdurham.ac.uk.