SOUTH Holland Flower Queen Amy Harrison is back from Jersey’s Battle of Flowers fired with ideas on how to breathe new life into Spalding’s endangered Flower Parade.
Amy (18) rode high on a float with another flower queen Miss Alderney, renewed her friendship with Miss Jersey Battle of Flowers Rebecca Houze and best of all met a celebrity hero, winner of Dancing on Ice and Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden, this year’s ‘Mr Battle.’
She travelled to the holiday island with boyfriend Trevor Wain. South Holland District Council chairman Mick Seymour and his wife Pauline were also there for the event.
Amy, who’s just left Spalding Grammar School and is awaiting A level results, said: “It was fabulous. We met so many people who’d been to our Flower Parade – some who’d been inspired by enjoying ours to come to Jersey.
“I’m really hoping we can save our Flower Parade – it would be a terrible shame if it got axed.
“I think the two parades can learn from each other and I was talking a lot to the Jersey people about this.
“They like ours because it’s not competitive like theirs, has far more bands and more variety.
“Ideas for us are about financing. They charge visitors, which covers the huge cost of the flowers so the floats are community-made, not commercial, and they ban alcohol so there’s no bad behaviour.”