Our Diversity Action Group
As a not-for-profit co-operative we are a growing and important part of UK small-scale flower farming and want our members to be representative of the UK’s population. Our Diversity Action Group aims to keep this firmly on our agenda as we move forward.
Flowers from the Farm represents individuals working across floristry, horticulture and flower farming, and we are aware of how far we have yet to go to ensure our organisation, and our industry, is fully inclusive. In 2020, a group of members came together to ask what could be done to encourage greater diversity within our membership and how to actively address societal racism and inequality in a way that was relevant to the flower farming sector. The Diversity Action Group (DAG) was formed to find actionable ways to ensure our membership continues to diversify.
We recognise that there are invisible barriers to accessing growing and education in farming. The first step that the DAG took was to launch a Diversity Scholarship, which offers five recipients a unique programme of advice, mentorship, reference books, tools and equipment, and training courses to help kick-start their career as flower farmers.
The DAG has also created a toolkit to support current members with what they can do to support diversity work within our orgaisation, and our next initiative is to look at access to land. If you would like to support or join the DAG, please email diversitygroup@flowersfromthefarm.co.uk.
Applications for the 2023 Diversity Scholarship are now open and close at midnight on 12th June 2023.
Marianne Mogendorff of Wolves Lane Flower Company talks about the work of the Diversity Action Group since it began in summer 2020.
Meet our 2020 scholarship winners
From a strong field, these talented and enthusiastic flower growers were chosen as our scholarship winners in 2020.
Anais Carillo Hawkins
Andrea Ferdinand
Charlotte Merryweather
Elsie Harper
Jenny Yeoung
Scholarship supporters
We’d like to thank the following for their support in 2020.
Blackshed Flowers
Claire Nolan
Common Farm Flowers
Fertile Fibre
Floribunda Rose
Forever Green Flower Company
Grace Alexander
Milli Proust
Moles Seeds
Niwaki
Plantpassion
Sage Flowers
Simply by Arrangement
Sofie Paton-Smith
Soil and Fleurs, Cheshire