From left: Coordinator of Flowers in Paradise, Cecily Walcott; President of World Association of Floral Artists (WAFA), Maurice Webster; Monica Worrell; Governor of Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. Delisle Worrell; Vice President of WAFA, Jennifer Weetch.
WAFA Barbados to host World Flower Show in June
Fri, 01/13/2017 - 12:00am
Barbados will be attracting hundreds of visitors to the island for the 12th World Flower Show, “Flowers in Paradise” in June 2017.
The event, which will be held between June 22-25 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre was officially launched at the Grand Salle at the Central Bank of Barbados on Wednesday.
Event Coordinator of Flowers in Paradise, Cecily Walcott, expressed her gratitude for the support of Governor General of Central Bank of Barbados (CBB), Dr. Delisle Worrell and his wife, Monica for facilitating the launch and being patrons for the show. She added that Barbados is the only country in the region to host the world class event and won the bid to host against countries like Russia, India and New Zealand. The event has been held every three years and hosted in a selected member countries across the globe.
Governor of CBB, Dr. Worrell in his opening remarks said that this event is the “World Cup” of the World of Floral Arrangements and he said that he and his wife were thrilled to be patrons, as it gave him an opportunity to celebrate the life and work of his personal hero, his mother Edna Worrell.
President of the World Association of Floral Artists (WAFA), Maurice Webster, said that they have received over 400 registrants and he appreciated the assistance of the tourism agencies on the island. He emphasised that this event will give visitors a chance to experience Barbadian culture.
In addition to the support of the CBB, other sponsors include BIDC, Tourism Development Corporation, PBS Barbados and Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, which have assisted WAFA with the marketing of the event.
The four day event, which will attract over 25 countries will feature international demonstrations from special guests Dr. Solomon Leona, (Hong Kong); Craig Bullock (United Kingdom); Marie Francoise Deprez (France); William Dixon (United Kingdom), and a lecture from Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies, Professor Eudine Barriteau, on “Gender and Social Change in Post-Independence Barbados; and Senator Sir Henry Fraser, Professor Emeritus on “The Garden of Paradise-Past and Present” and a Vendors’ Market.
WAFA which was founded in 1981 has thirty-one member countries and the management of WAFA produces an International Floral Art Seminar and an International Design Competition for floral artists.