8 Oct 2025, 18:43Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Joyful Reflections: Flower Festival at Stanborough Park Church Supports Rennie Grove Hospice
A Flower Festival in aid of the local Rennie Grove Hospice was held over the weekend of 3rd–5th October at Stanborough Park Church in Watford. The church sponsors a room at its local hospice called ‘The Stanborough Room’ and organises various fundraising events to support this. This time, a flower festival was the chosen event.
Over the past four decades, the church has held several such festivals, organised by Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Audrey Balderstone Huzzey. This was the first flower festival to be held in the church since 2017, once again organised by Audrey. The theme for the event was Joyful Reflections and featured 41 displays on topics that gave the arrangers joy. These included displays demonstrating sunrise, sunset, friends, marriage, hope, children, and welfare. Each display used a Bible text on its chosen topic, which it illustrated with flowers. Each display told its own story.
In addition to organising the event, Audrey produced several exhibits herself and was joined by an army of at least 40 other flower arrangers who spent many hours working on their displays — in some cases, days. Some of them were members of various floral/flower arranging societies known personally to Audrey, while others were church members with an interest in arranging flowers. Ages ranged from teenagers to pensioners, but all shared a love of flowers. Many of the arrangers sponsored their own displays; some were funded anonymously and others by church members or their friends.
The event began with an opening ceremony which included an address by Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal College of Nursing, who spoke of the value of hospices and their need for fundraising to perform the valuable service they provide, and of her visit to the Rennie Grove Hospice itself. She surprised her audience by explaining that the church and its surroundings were very familiar to her, as she had attended Stanborough School! The Elected Mayor of Watford formally declared the event open, speaking warmly of the welfare service the church provides for the local community, including the annual Toy Service, which he will be attending as usual just before Christmas.
Spread over the weekend, the event began with a formal opening service attended by the Elected Mayor of Watford, with a light meal available to those who paid to attend. The following evening saw a gala concert produced by the church’s Music Department and featuring church members and pupils of the Stanborough Park College of Music, which operates from the church, and closed with a retiring offering for the hospice. The final evening saw the event closing with a Songs of Praise session. Pastor Jim Huzzey acted as master of ceremonies and explained, in an emotional speech, the positive effect the hospice had had on his late wife, Gill, who spent her final days there. These events were livestreamed and are available for viewing on the church’s YouTube channel. At the time of writing, the accounts have not been finalised, but in due course, a cheque will be publicly presented to the hospice management.
In the photograph, arranger Lisa Dias explains the rationale behind her display to an interested visitor. Her topic was Welfare and was intended to demonstrate the text Luke 3:11, which encourages those who have enough to share with those less fortunate — hence the admonition to give your extra coat to someone without one was visually demonstrated with a T-shirt made of woven paper strips, which took a whole day to fashion. Lisa explains, “Our Welfare Department (whose value to the people of Watford was mentioned in the Mayor’s opening speech) cares for those whose lives may lack colour and who might face hard knocks, prickly situations and few possessions — like these simple shirts. In contrast, others live lives which seem to flow with colour and luxurious possessions.” Her aim was to demonstrate this in her display, which took her four days to complete.
Summing up the event in a message of thanks to all who played a part in the festival, Audrey wrote:
To God be the glory!
Thanks to you all for making the whole Festival such a delight and such a wonderful success.
Joyfully reflecting on the many small miracles, special moments, wonderful music and your support!
We look forward to hearing just how much the event raised for such a much-needed and much-appreciated local service, which needs to raise £70,000 a day to provide it.
A Flower Festival in aid of the local Rennie Grove Hospice was held over the weekend of 3rd–5th October at Stanborough Park Church in Watford. The church sponsors a room at its local hospice called ‘The Stanborough Room’ and organises various fundraising events to support this. This time, a flower festival was the chosen event.
Over the past four decades, the church has held several such festivals, organised by Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Audrey Balderstone Huzzey. This was the first flower festival to be held in the church since 2017, once again organised by Audrey. The theme for the event was Joyful Reflections and featured 41 displays on topics that gave the arrangers joy. These included displays demonstrating sunrise, sunset, friends, marriage, hope, children, and welfare. Each display used a Bible text on its chosen topic, which it illustrated with flowers. Each display told its own story.
In addition to organising the event, Audrey produced several exhibits herself and was joined by an army of at least 40 other flower arrangers who spent many hours working on their displays — in some cases, days. Some of them were members of various floral/flower arranging societies known personally to Audrey, while others were church members with an interest in arranging flowers. Ages ranged from teenagers to pensioners, but all shared a love of flowers. Many of the arrangers sponsored their own displays; some were funded anonymously and others by church members or their friends.
The event began with an opening ceremony which included an address by Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal College of Nursing, who spoke of the value of hospices and their need for fundraising to perform the valuable service they provide, and of her visit to the Rennie Grove Hospice itself. She surprised her audience by explaining that the church and its surroundings were very familiar to her, as she had attended Stanborough School! The Elected Mayor of Watford formally declared the event open, speaking warmly of the welfare service the church provides for the local community, including the annual Toy Service, which he will be attending as usual just before Christmas.
Spread over the weekend, the event began with a formal opening service attended by the Elected Mayor of Watford, with a light meal available to those who paid to attend. The following evening saw a gala concert produced by the church’s Music Department and featuring church members and pupils of the Stanborough Park College of Music, which operates from the church, and closed with a retiring offering for the hospice. The final evening saw the event closing with a Songs of Praise session. Pastor Jim Huzzey acted as master of ceremonies and explained, in an emotional speech, the positive effect the hospice had had on his late wife, Gill, who spent her final days there. These events were livestreamed and are available for viewing on the church’s YouTube channel. At the time of writing, the accounts have not been finalised, but in due course, a cheque will be publicly presented to the hospice management.
In the photograph, arranger Lisa Dias explains the rationale behind her display to an interested visitor. Her topic was Welfare and was intended to demonstrate the text Luke 3:11, which encourages those who have enough to share with those less fortunate — hence the admonition to give your extra coat to someone without one was visually demonstrated with a T-shirt made of woven paper strips, which took a whole day to fashion. Lisa explains, “Our Welfare Department (whose value to the people of Watford was mentioned in the Mayor’s opening speech) cares for those whose lives may lack colour and who might face hard knocks, prickly situations and few possessions — like these simple shirts. In contrast, others live lives which seem to flow with colour and luxurious possessions.” Her aim was to demonstrate this in her display, which took her four days to complete.
Summing up the event in a message of thanks to all who played a part in the festival, Audrey wrote:
To God be the glory!
Thanks to you all for making the whole Festival such a delight and such a wonderful success.
Joyfully reflecting on the many small miracles, special moments, wonderful music and your support!
We look forward to hearing just how much the event raised for such a much-needed and much-appreciated local service, which needs to raise £70,000 a day to provide it.
