Flower Guild
Throughout the year (except during the seasons of Advent and Lent), St Denys' beautiful church is decorated with flowers for Sunday services and other special occasions.
For the weekly services, floral arrangements are placed in the niches either side of the cross on the altar screen and on our “Welcome” table just inside the main entrance (north door). There may also be flowers in other areas of the church, especially for special services. For the major festivals of Christmas, Easter and Harvest, the whole church is decorated.
These floral decorations are created by members of the St Denys’ Church Flower Guild – a group of over 20 enthusiastic, volunteer flower arrangers, who kindly donate their time and skills to create beautiful displays.
Easter Lilies
For a number of years, there has been a tradition for members of the congregation and the wider parish community to contribute towards the cost of the Easter lilies, which form the main structure of the floral arrangements for this festival. In appreciation of these donations, donors are invited to submit names in memory of loved ones. A list of “In Memoriam” names is laid on the Communion Table, to be included in prayers during the Easter season.
Click Here for a form to record names to remember during the Easter season and for donations
Weekly Flowers
A core group of guild members have the responsibility for providing flower arrangements for Sunday services. This is organised on a rota basis, usually in two-week slots. This involves:- sourcing the flowers and foliage needed*; creating displays and ensuring they are in place in church for the Sunday morning service; arranging for watering of the displays during the week; dismantling displays after use and disposing of all waste materials.
Some of the team usually create their arrangements at home and bring them ready-prepared to church. Others prefer to work in situ - those wishing to do this, should consult the church’s calendar or liaise with the Head of Flowers to check when access to the church is possible.
* Some flowers and most of the foliage are often kindly donated by the guild members on the rota. The Flower Guild does have a small fund to assist with the purchase of flowers, where necessary. The Guild also has a good stock of floral trays and hanging paddles and can supply oasis foam. Please ask the Head of Flowers about this.
Festival Flowers
On a day before a major festival, the whole guild meets up in church to create flower displays and spends a very happy time working together on their displays. Refreshments are provided.
The areas usually decorated include:
- Altar screen,
- Sanctuary pedestal;
- Service-Leader’s Stall;
- pulpit railings;
- font;
- font cover;
- “Welcome” table;
- WW1 memorial;
- WW2 memorial;
- oak chest;
- north aisle window sills (2);
- south aisle window sills (2);
- choir window sill;
- candelabra;
- north porch.
Other Special Flowers
In addition to the three major festivals, there may be other occasions in the year (e.g. Patronal Festival), when more of the church will be decorated. The Head of Flowers will notify the Guild when additional flower arrangements are going to be needed.
Flowers for Weddings
Floral displays used to decorate the church for weddings usually require specialist floristry expertise and most brides prefer to order flowers and displays from a local florist, who can coordinate these to complement the bridal bouquet, corsages, etc. Depending upon the size and style of displays chosen, some wedding parties choose to take their flowers on to the reception venue, or to leave them in situ for the church’s use.
For a small donation of £25, the Flower Guild can provide altar screen and “Welcome table” flowers ready for the following regular church service, in colours to match those of the bridal flowers. Details of what is required must be finalised at least two weeks before the event, to allow time for ordering flowers.
Please contact the Head of Flowers if you would like any information or assistance with the flowers for your wedding, or the names and contact details of local florists.
Flowers for Funerals
All floral tributes for funeral services are usually arranged as part of the funeral director’s services.
Joining the Guild
We would love to welcome new members to our guild! If you enjoy flower arranging and would like to be part of the rota team for the smaller arrangements through the year, or to join us just for the larger whole-church decorating for festivals, we would love to hear from you. No previous experience is necessary – if you would like to find out how to create floral arrangements and give it a try, you would be most welcome to join us.
Existing members - we would also appreciate some more volunteers to join the weekly rota for flowers through the year – the more we have, the smaller the commitment for each member over the year!
Contact Details
For all enquiries relating to the Flower Guild at St Denys’, please contact the Head of Flowers:
Lynn Varley
Email: stdcrafts@gmail.com
Tel: 01892 610551