Devon: Creator of Cotleigh flower festival comments on event

This turned out to be a "spectacular" event and was fully organised by Sarah Broom, a talented local florist.

Sarah has since shared her thoughts with us about the overall success of the first East Devon Flower Festival, named 'The Colours of Cotleigh'.

Sarah Broom in a field of sunflowers (Image: Chris Henley) According to her, this dream started on her way home from a prestigious flower show.

As she admired all the floral displays at the event, she said: "Why not create a similar event on a local scale that would bring together like-minded people to craft something truly special in a rural village church?"

Having decorated numerous churches throughout Devon for weddings, she felt inspired to create something that would benefit not only the local community but also draw in people from the surrounding areas. 

She said: “My idea was to use flowers to highlight both the beauty of the church and the power of the arts.

St. Michael’s Church, a small historic building nestled in the Blackdown Hills, provided the "perfect background" for this floral celebration.

Sarah added: "Over the years, I have been fortunate to meet talented growers and floral designers, all of whom were willing to contribute to creating something truly worthy of St Michael’s surroundings."

With ideas flowing, from everything to bathtubs filled with flowers to intricate willow structures, Sarah and her team all started planning for the Cotleigh flower festival. 

She said: “I had visions of jewel tunnels and birch filled porches, but my main goal was to bring the outside in, allowing the church to feel as natural as possible.

“For me, floristry is all about the materials: how you select them, their textures and forms and, most importantly, the colours. Pulling together colours is one of my favourite parts of my job so I worked hard to source local flowers and foliage that would create perfect harmony inside the church.”

Sarah Broom's "The Colour's of Cotleigh", Honiton Flower Festival 2024 (Image: Chris Henley)

In August, Sarah began placing the mechanics and supporting structures in the church, along with crafting the jewel tunnel - all ready for her own secret garden inside the church. 

Sarah’s Granddad and her had built the tunnel structure in his back garden in March this year.

They then covered it with dried cow parsley, hydrangeas and alliums donated by friends and family. 

Sarah's homemade floral arch, presented in St Michael's Church for the Cotleigh Flower Festival (Image: Chris Henley) As the week of the Flower Festival arrived, the church “buzzed with energy”, and it quickly became a “hive of activity”.

Filled with the scent of fresh flowers, donated foliage and the sound of the church warden’s retro CD’s, the space “came to life”.

Sarah added: “I decided to hold a preview evening on the Friday to thank everyone who contributed, including our generous sponsors and the many volunteers who gave up their free time.

“We served wine and canapés, lit the path and church with candles to give them all a sneaky peek of the completed display. As the most glorious sunset glimmered through the stained-glass windows it created a magical start to the weekend.”

Both Saturday and Sunday were filled with talks from the local creatives, food and beverages sold from local vendors and, of course, lots and lots of flowers.

Sarah said: “The response over the weekend was overwhelming. I was not prepared for the flood of kind comments and certainly not for the responsive tears from family, villagers, and complete strangers. I was told that it definitely had the ‘Wow factor’ and was likened by many to a mini–Chelsea Flower Show.

“There is something deeply moving about a church filled to the brim with foliage and flowers. A big thank you goes to the floral designers that came with some amazing ideas that really helped to transform the space.

“Looking back, I could not be more grateful for the incredible support from the community, friends and fellow creatives. The Cotleigh Flower Festival was a labour of love, and it was fantastic to see it all come to life.”

Sarah and her team decided to donate any proceeds to the church and also put it towards supporting the Devon Air Ambulance.

Overall the event raised a massive £5,735.35 which will be split between both charities.