From the very beginning, my mum has been my unwavering rock. I was a bubbly, joyful little girl until school became a challenge I wasn’t prepared for. My first teacher refused to give me a reading book, until I could do my flashcards.

Those moments of humiliation and feeling lost and being excluded left a lasting mark on my confidence and self-worth.

But my mum—tireless, fierce, and full of belief—fought for me every step of the way. She stood in my corner when I couldn’t stand for myself.

At the age of 10, I went to a boarding school in Ramsgate for dyslexic children. It was the first time I truly thrived in an educational setting and felt I fitted in and was normal. I was there for three years and eventually became Head Girl. Those years were some of the happiest of my childhood, and none of it would have been possible without my Mum and Dad's determination to get me the support I needed.

After school, my path was winding: I worked for John Lewis, a high-end jewellers, and even ran a gentleman’s shirt shop in Jermyn Street. But around 25 years ago, everything changed. My mum set up her own florist shop—Woodland Flowers. I would come home from London to help with wedding work, and I quickly fell in love with it. The flowers, the creativity, the connection—it all just made sense.

Eventually, life brought me back home full time, and that’s when my floristry journey truly began. Woodland Flowers became a family business. My mum led it with grace and vision, I joined her creatively, and my dad became our beloved delivery driver and lifter-and-shifter. We had an extraordinary team—most memorably Marion, our “Head Girl” of floristry, whose wisdom and warmth still guides me every day at the bench.

At our peak, we were doing up to 180 weddings a year. We had a team of talented, hardworking women—Tilly, Yvetter, Khatie, little Chris and many more—and together we created something magical. But as with all seasons, things eventually changed. People moved on, precious people passed, life moved forward, and it became time to say goodbye to Woodland Flowers.

That’s when Cerus Botanical Designs was born. I stepped into my own space, carrying with me every lesson, every memory, and every ounce of passion instilled in me by my mum. I did weddings and contract work, and then, like so many, I was hit hard by the pandemic. Everything changed overnight. Rebuilding wasn’t easy. Life throws curveballs—some personal, some professional—and from 2006 onwards, I was not only working full-time but also raising a baby, and later homeschooling her full-time too, with my mum by my side every step of the way.

And still, through it all, my love for floristry never left me.

To this day my safe space is and always will be the workbench. It’s where I feel grounded, whole, and alive. The flowers, the creativity, the chance to teach and share and brighten someone’s day—that’s what drives me. And behind it all, always, is my mum. Her belief in me gave me the courage to keep going, to keep creating, and to turn pain into beauty.

Now, at 52, I’m more excited than ever about what MY Botanicals journey still holds. The joy I find in every bloom, the people I get to meet, and the stories I get to be part of—it’s all so precious.

And while there is another very special person in my life—my beautiful daughter—her story will be told another day. For now, this is about the woman who started it all. My mum. The heartbeat of my business, the soul of our story, and the greatest gift I could ever ask for.

We may not be counting lots and lots of gold coins, but we are rich beyond measure—in love, friendship, laughter, support, and memories. That, to me, is true wealth.

With all my love and gratitude,
Lots of love 
Cerus 💜✨