THE FLOWER festival held at St Peter’s Church in Petersfield has been declared a huge success by organisers.

More than 600 people visited the three-day festival last Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the church off The Square in the town centre.

The theme for the floral displays was telling the story of creation, and it took a team of 50 flower arrangers two days to set up the church for the event.

A team of another 50 volunteers were in attendance throughout the event to welcome visitors and steward the event, as well as providing refreshments.

And when it came to dismantling the displays the flowers used in the event were sold off to the public on Monday.

One of the festival’s organisers Christine Rushton was overjoyed at how well the event had gone and how it had been received by the visiting public.

She said: “What a huge success the festival was in so many ways – we had over 600 people who came to experience the flower festival, and over 50 flower arrangers worked together to produce such a feast for the eyes.

“We then had around another 50 people who welcomed, stewarded, refreshed people and sold raffle tickets. It was an amazing festival of teamwork and fun.

“The talent used to put together the displays was local and not so local.

“We had flower arrangers from in and around Petersfield, from Denmead to Burgess Hill and returning via Blackmoor, Liphook and Hawkley.

“We thank them all, together with the supporters, who made the festival run so smoothly.

“The reaction of the public was amazing – some of the comments we received included ‘As good as Chichester on a smaller scale’; ‘you must go and see it, it is stunning’; ‘it discusses the biblical interpretation of creation’; and ‘I have been back three times just to look again at the detail’.

Christine reported: “It was the detail that made the arrangements so interesting. With the tide coming into the shore, the darkness of the beginning, the fruit and seeds, the cartwheel rainbow, the snowmen, the wonderful colours of autumn, the snake and incredible detail in the Garden of Eden, the mass of summer colours with the rainbow umbrella just in case, St Michael and his dragon, the colours of St Catherine.

Another comment was: “The displays showed all the interpretations of the days of creation with such detail and thought – the huge willow rainbow, the gentle scene of spring, the peaceful day of rest, the sun, the moonflower, talking to the stars, the wonderful colours of music, the glowing colours at the high altar and the overflowing water of the font.

“There was so much to see if you had the time just to stand and stare. It was all so beautiful and delivered with love.”