A 19-year-old farmer is bringing the benefits of British-grown flowers to the fore in her local community as she turns her seedling of a business idea into a blossoming success.
Farmer-turned-florist, Ellen Firth, launched Firth Flock Flowers at the start of 2023 with the support of Big Ideas Wales, having spent two years gifting her sustainable home-grown flowers to friends, family and her local community.
Now, Ellen is announcing the expansion of her business after securing land which will blossom into a flower garden in May 2023. Ellen hopes the garden of chemical free, ethically grown flowers, can educate her community on the benefits of British grown flowers that account for 10% of the flower industry here in the UK.
In the months following the grand opening of Firth Flock Flower Farm, Ellen, who was diagnosed with autism in 2017, aspires to support other young people with autism and special needs by hosting immersive flower arranging and harvesting workshops which will enable them to experience the therapeutic benefits of flowers first-hand.
All flowers ethically grown at Firth Flock Flowers will be used for Ellen’s commissioned arrangements for weddings and arrangements to local businesses. Ellen’s arrangements vary from £6 for small jar bouquets to £40 for larger, wilder arrangements, with prices for larger events agreed upon commission.
To launch her business, Ellen sought the support of Big Ideas Wales, part of Business Wales and funded by the Welsh Government to support entrepreneurship in Wales. The Big Ideas Wales service is aimed at anyone between the age of five and 25 who wants to develop a business idea, including students and graduates, as part of The Welsh Government’s commitment to the Young Person’s Guarantee.
Discussing Ellen’s growth, Business Advisor Niamh Ferron said: “Ellen is incredibly inspiring and is a wonderful example of how embracing the support of Big Ideas Wales can help you level up in your business. Ellen has made the most of every piece of support, from our weekly meetings to the service’s endless webinars and the Young Person’s Start-Up Grant. I look forward to watching Ellen flourish as a young entrepreneur.”