The Society of Floristry Limited was formed in 1951 to meet the growing need for professional recognition for florists in the UK.
Its first major task, after forming a Council of directors composed of leading florists in the industry, was to write, run and mark examinations in floristry skills and theory, which it did successfully for almost 49 years.
When the ability to draw this funding was removed a few years ago in an initiative to reduce the number of organisations awarding recognised qualifications, the number of florists able to afford to attend colleges and the ability of those colleges to offer courses toward the examinations was severely restricted.
The Society did not want to see a situation develop where its standards were eroded, and entered into negotiations with NPTC City and Guilds to write recognised qualifications at Higher Education level to replace the well-recognised and valued ICSF and NDSF.
These shows were attended by thousands of florists and students over the years, raising standards and pushing back the boundaries of commercial floral design.