On Tuesday 3 February, following an invitation to meet, Angela Oliver, Chief Executive Officer of the British Florist Association, and Jamie Grant Association Director met with The Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorick, alongside Shane Connolly MBE and Dr Jill Timms, for a positive, constructive and collaborative discussion following recent press coverage of the proposed Church of England Synod motion relating to floral materials.
We were reassured that any decision taken at Synod on 12th February would be advisory in nature, focused on internal Church guidance, and would take time to filter through. The motion has been written primarily in relation to flowers arranged by churches for their own services, rather than work carried out by external professional florists. Importantly, any guidance would allow for local discretion, with individual parishes able to set their own approach. We were also assured that no florist would be turned away from a church service if flowers were not classed as fully sustainable.
Should the motion be passed, the likely official position of the Church of England would be to strongly encourage the use of more sustainable materials in church flower arrangements, including consideration of seasonal and locally grown flowers wherever possible. This is not about prohibition or an outright ban, but about encouraging change over time.
It is also important to note that the motion may still be amended, and amendments could be either more or less extreme than its current form. While no immediate or enforced changes are expected, the BFA will continue to monitor developments closely.
The Church of England was clear in expressing its love of flowers and strong appreciation of florists, recognising the long-standing synergy between churches and the floristry community. The BFA will continue to support florists in all areas of their work and will build on its existing sustainability guidance as the situation develops.
