Despite rumours to the contrary, Camberley Adult Education Centre is alive and well — offering a wide range of courses, from painting and computing to cookery and foreign languages.

The popularity of the courses proves there are plenty of people out there of all ages who are keen to acquire new skills and knowledge long after leaving formal education.

One of the exciting things about later learning is that you can discover a latent talent or develop a new enthusiasm and passion for something in which you had hitherto merely had a passing interest.

This can lead to a consuming new hobby or even a career change, as in the case of Mary Alexander.

She is currently teaching the seasonal flower arranging and simple floristry course, after originally training as a primary school teacher.

Mary became interested in floristry after taking an adult education course for fun. She enjoyed it so much that she went on to acquire qualifications in the subject, ending up with a second career as a professional florist.

Eventually, she returned to teaching, but this time sensibly combining it with her love and experience of floristry.

Her thinking behind her course is to clear away some of the mystery surrounding floristry techniques, while allowing her students to express their creativity.

“Floristry is not supremely difficult,” she said. “But it is not the same as flower arranging. It is more technical and this is what my students want.”

In each class, after watching Mary’s demonstration of the techniques involved and hearing her explanations, the students have the chance to create their own arrangements.

In the first session, Mary showed how to make a stunning, compact arrangement in a glass tank, which itself formed part of the overall display after being filled with a variety of coloured pulses.

“A piece like this would cost about £80 by a top London florist and around £40 in this area,” she said. So clearly, there is money to be saved as well as fun to be had.

The course students comprise people of all ages, some of whom are complete beginners, while others have some knowledge of the techniques.

The informal, relaxed nature of the classes gives everyone the opportunity to discuss their ideas as well as honing their skills.

Mary started the course by showing the students the tools of the florist’s trade — Oasis, wires, specialist tape and so on — and emphasised the importance of conditioning flowers and foliage before use.

She then went on to discuss the fundamentals of design, what she calls “the building blocks of arrangement”, and explained how to use a colour wheel to plan a colour scheme.

“But you don’t have to bound by the colour wheel. Just use it to get you thinking about colour,” she said. “And of course, it’s not just about colour. You also have to consider the shapes and textures of the flowers and foliage you’re using.

“Think about the overall shape, too, by putting smaller flowers at the edges and bigger ones in the centre. This gives a more balanced arrangement.

“But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to cram in as many flowers as possible. There is a florist’s saying ‘leave space for the butterflies’ which is a good rule to follow.”

As she worked on her demonstration, Mary was full of tips and advice.

“When soaking your Oasis, don’t push it into the water, but allow it to absorb water until it naturally sinks,” she said. “This way there will be no air pockets.”

“And if you have soft stems on flowers, to avoid breaking or bending them, make a guide hole in the Oasis first.”

For most of the students, the course was a way of relaxing as well as learning, and some who had been on previous courses, had already applied their skills to creating designs for the home or special occasions.

The designs that Mary teaches are achievable for amateurs and cover situations from table decoration to wreaths and bouquets.

Each student receives a handout giving detailed instructions on how to make the various arrangements to use as an aide-memoire.

Being able to make a floral arrangement can be not only a useful skill to acquire, it can also be personally rewarding.

Course student Gillian Quinn, from South Ascot, explained that she obtained a great deal of satisfaction from being able to do the flowers for her daughter’s wedding, while Sheila Cockerill, from Camberley, said she was delighted with the arrangements she made to decorate the house at Christmas.

Friends Linda Aitken, from Send, and Fatima Trillo-Tamayo, from Woking, said: “We find floristry cheaper than psychotherapy. It really helps us to unwind.”

Linda added: “I originally started the course to be able to do flowers at Christmas, but I loved it so much I carried on, although I think I shall just keep it as a hobby.

“I even taught my children how to do some of the techniques and they have really enjoyed making floral arrangements as gifts.

“Since starting these courses, I have become more interested in my garden because I think it’s lovely to be able to use my own flowers.”

“And I’ve started to see foliage in a totally different way,” added Fatima. “If I see some I like when I’m out and about, I’ll stop and pick it.

“I run a restaurant with my husband and I’ve done some arrangements for the window, so the course has actually been useful as well as enjoyable.”

Details of courses at the adult education centre can be found at www.surreycc.gov.uk/
adultlearning, or by calling 01932 794524.