TEESSIDE florist Diana Kaye has won the National Flower Shop of the Year Award.

The small Yarm High Street shop beat off all the UK chains, supermarkets and giants to win the top prize - and pick up a second award for top scoring Interflora florist.

The trader - real name Kaye Allen - was one of only five florists in the UK to win a platinum award, last year, for excellence, in a knock out heat of the Flower Shop of the Year Awards.

The delighted national champion said: "We were genuinely taken aback. I told the (staff) don't raise your hopes. It was the biggest shock since I gave birth to my little boy two years ago, aged 40.'' As a schoolgirl, she worked during the school holidays at a the shop - then a greengrocers - and could hardly wait to leave school to work full time with flowers.

She left school and at the age of 16 began her florist's business from the premises where she used to help out.

The awards were announced at the Spring Flower Event at The International Convention Centre in Birmingham yesterday.