A County Durham florist has won an award for being one of the 'top 100 faces' in the industry.

Heidi Varley couldn't believe it when she found out that she had been nominated - and then made it through multiple rounds to be in the top 100.

She runs Pinks Flower Farm in Cotherstone, near Barnard Castle, - and it has has grown very popular.

Heidi said: "These awards celebrate all aspects of the floral industry.

"I'm now one of the 100 faces of the floristry industry in the country.

"I was so surprised. Unbeknownst to me I had been nominated.

"I got an email initially but I didn't pay much notice.

"Then my friend rang me to say that I was in the top 200 and that was when I asked what it was all about. 

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"Then it was only yesterday that I found out that I was in the top 100."

Normally, Heidi does displays across the North East and Cumbria but she had just got back from catering for a wedding down in London.

She emphasised that she tries to grow sustainable and environmentally friendly blooms. 

The awards were created to mark the first ever National Florist Day yesterday (Saturday, June 8).

Created by Caroline Marshall-Foster, she said it is designed to "celebrate all that is wonderful about the world of flowers, floristry and the people in it".