Chesterfield business owner 'proud' to be placed among top three finalists in UK Florist of the Year

Chesterfield business owner Katie Haslam is proof that the best florists are grown in Derbyshire.

Katie says she is "beyond proud" to have placed third in the UK Florist of the Year. The 2026 competition was won by Anja Norris who owns a floral design business in Glossop.

It’s the second year running that Katie, who runs aFlorist on Chatsworth Road, has reached the final . She said: "I did better this year, I didn't place in the final last time."

Winning a heat in Leicester and racking up one of the highest scores around the country secured Katie her place among six contenders for the title.

The finalists had to produce three designs live and bring along a pre-made creation to the competition which formed part of FleurEx, a trade show which was hosted by the British Florist Association in Nottingham.

Katie, who is 25, said: "The pre-made item was a necklace which I made out of aluminium wire covered in wool and bent into an asymmetrical shape. I incorporated little red necklace chains dangling down with a few dried red petals. It had a lot of movement and was very flowy. That was my favourite piece and gave me my highest score, I think I got 83.5 out of 100.

"The theme throughout was enchanted woodland - the first live design was a heart tribute to be placed at the bottom of a tree, then we had to make a hand-tied design to be placed on a table celebrating the circle of life in an enchanted forest.

”The last design was a surprise task - you don't find out until you go in there and the clock starts ticking. They provided all the materials, the sundries and the brief, the only guidance we had was that it had to be autumnal. We were given a wreath shaped base, little vases and materials. I put two vases in the middle with a little bit of flower, covered the whole base in moss and poked the materials through the moss."

During the FleurEx weekend Katie also demonstrated her floristry skills on the main stage. She said: "I quite enjoy demonstrating. One year I did a demonstration at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse."

Competition floristry is a string to her bow that Katie added a couple of years ago. She was inspired when studying for a Level 4 Higher Diploma in Professional Floristry at The Floristry School in Sheffield. Katie said: "We learned lots of different design techniques, everything was very technical and intricate - it leaned into competition floristry. We didn't make a lot of commercial designs but we did learn a lot about running a business."

Her passion for floral design stemmed from a week’s work experience as a schoolgirl. Katie said: "I knew I didn't want to do anything academic because I'm creative. I went to Hearts and Flowers on West Bars and absolutely fell in love with floristry.

“I started working in a shop called Valerie of Dore and was there for four years. Because I live in Chesterfield, it made sense to find something a bit more local and I went to Fresh Ideas on Chatsworth Road and worked there for four years.

"The natural progression was to set up my own shop - I always wanted to do that.”

Katie credits her partner Bryn, who runs aGeek on West Bars, for naming her business. She said: "I couldn't think of a name and he said aFlorist. I decided to keep it because it’s me...I am a florist.”