Wirral Life May 2019 | Page 15

EARTH IS BLOOMING! HESWALL BASED FLORIST MOVES TO STUNNING NEW BOUTIQUE Much-loved Heswall based florists Earth are on the move! The shop, which has been has synonymous with providing spectacular blooms and floral designs for over 20 years, is moving just a few doors up, to a much larger unit on Telegraph Road. The new boutique has been specially re-designed to incorporate dedicated consultation areas, a state-of-the-art ‘flower fridge’ and even its very own floristry school! Let Your Talents Bloom! The all-new Cheshire Floristry School will be joining the Earth family to provide bespoke training in all aspects of floral artistry. From seasonal workshops and one-to-one tuition, students will be able to learn the secrets of floral design from owner and acclaimed florist, Sian Jaoko. Flower Power Sian, who has a growing reputation for excellence within the industry, is thrilled to be passing on her skills to a new generation of florists. ‘I have to say that floristry has been my saviour,’ said Sian. ‘My life before Earth was very different and I really do think being involved in the floristry industry has been an absolute life-saver for me.’ A strong statement perhaps but when you discover Sian’s story its easy to see why she is so passionate about what she does. Earth’s beautiful shop front, gorgeous window displays and ever-growing reputation for excellence hides a story of total passion and extreme determination that is even more beautiful than the flowers they sell. From Banking To Blooms! Once a highly respected and focussed banking professional working with some of the UK’s leading investment banks, Sian’s power-woman exterior helped her rise to the top of what is a male dominated industry and succeed at the very highest level in this super competitive (and stressful) world. After years working long hours and living the rat-race in London, Sian finally became pregnant with her miracle baby William. ‘I decided at that point that the stress and all-consuming banking industry was no longer for me,’ said Sian. ‘So I decided to try my hand at being a housewife and guess what, that wasn’t really for me either!’ Not long after this Sian was blessed with a second pregnancy. ‘Unfortunately things didn’t go to plan this time and I became quite ill. Doctors discovered a tumour in my womb and my pregnancy had to end at seventeen weeks and I was told I wouldn’t be able to have any more children. We were all devastated but I kind of went into fight mode. Whilst I was waiting to find out if I needed Chemo I started to look into the only thing I knew I loved that could make me happy and wasn’t about making money. Flowers.’ Earth To Sian! Sian signed up for a floristry course and after 6 months of waiting for the nightmare to be over and her bloods were stable enough she packed her scissors and headed off to floristry school. ‘I literally lost myself in the beauty of flowers,’ said Sian. ‘Learning all about how they work, how to take care of them and create beautiful designs was so healing and I was absolutely hooked.’ As a little girl growing up in Heswall, Earth was Sian’s go-to shop for gifts and Mothers Day presents. ‘If I couldn’t work at Earth I didn’t want to work anywhere. I was so lucky to get my placement there and I’ve never left.’ When the previous owners were thinking about selling up Sian jumped in. ‘I just said ‘I’ll buy it – and then thought, oh no, I don’t earn mega-bucks and actually haven’t got any money but my two heroes, my Dad and my husband came up trumps and somehow found the money to help make my dream a reality.’ Blooming Marvellous Now, two years on and with thousands of bouquets and hundreds of weddings under her belt, Sian is continuing to build Earth’s reputation as one of the finest, most innovative florists in the North. ‘I absolutely love every element of the job,’ said Sian. ‘From the guys who call in just to surprise their wives with something beautiful on a whim to large scale events and of course weddings, it really is a dream come true.’ ‘We are really passionate about utilising eco-friendly techniques too, so a lot of our large scale work will now be focussed on creating stunning, environmentally friendly designs that don’t use foam and are kind to the planet and as naturally beautiful as possible.’ ‘I will always be eternally grateful to the original owner Anne for allowing me to pick up where she left off and I’m so excited to take Earth forward and continue to build its reputation for excellence and creativity for years to come.’ To find out more about Earth, the new Cheshire Floristry School and their stunning work please visit: www.earthflorists.com www.cheshirefloristryschool.co.uk wirrallife.com 15