A TALENTED florist from Malmesbury, who spent 300 hours creating a floral kite despite being in her final year of university, said she is delighted to have won a silver medal in the RHS Young Chelsea Florist of the Year competition at the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Emily Hepworth of Persephone Violet collected her silver medal at the show on Thursday, just two days after finishing her final exam for her degree in Nutrition and Business at Bath Spa University.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have won a silver Chelsea medal,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s been a really challenging six weeks in the making, so I am delighted to have achieved such a fantastic result.

"I have just finished my degree this week and I had my last exam on Tuesday so it has been harder than every before but definitely the most rewarding year and I am so pleased with how it turned out."

The florist and her fellow competitors were given just six weeks to design and make a floral kite with the theme of urban streets and summer skies, which would be suspended in mid-air from the rafters of the floristry zone in Chelsea's Great Pavillion against a sky blue backdrop.

Miss Hepworth's kite was made up of flowers such as orchids, succulents, Santini Chrysanthemums, umbrella fern, Amaranthus and Germini in oranges, pinks and purples. The base was created with items sourced from Malmesbury's High Street shops.

"This is my third time at the show and it is a really great experience not only just for me but for the business as well," she said. "It is not a brief I would usually get from a customer so I was able to show off different skills. I won a bronze in 2016, a silver this year so fingers crossed for the fourth year lucky."

Tracy Tomlinson, manager of the British Florist Association added: “The RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year competitions are a fantastic showcase of the technical skills and creativity of the UK’s professional florists. To compete in the Chelsea finals is an incredible achievement and these florists can be very proud of their success.”