A TALENTED flower arranger has finally realised her dream by making a career out of her long-term hobby.

Born and bred in the North Tyne, Jayne Longlands was a prominent member of Bellingham Young Farmers in her youth, and enjoyed success in the floral art competition at the Northumberland YFC Rally.

Now, a quarter of a century after her early triumphs, Jayne has established her new business, Jayne Longlands Floral Design.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Jayne said the past year had given her time to reflect on what she really wanted to do.

And while she had excelled in office jobs over the years, Jayne opted to take a leap of faith in her abilities in flower design.

She’s already busy with orders, and is keen to help people find perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthdays and other special occasions this year.

“Everyone has been incredibly supportive and positive,” said Jayne, who set up her new venture before Christmas.

“I am so grateful for all the orders I’ve received and have thoroughly enjoyed producing designs which help put smiles on people’s faces.

“Seeing their reactions when they receive something you’ve produced from scratch is very rewarding, particularly during such difficult times - it has been great being able to make a difference and help raise spirits.”

During the busy Christmas period, Jayne also prepared flowers for a local funeral, utilising her talent for working with green foliage to present a natural appearance to the bespoke designs.

Before turning her hobby into a business, Jayne arranged flowers at three family weddings and thoroughly enjoyed rising to the respective challenges they provided.

She’s currently studying at TyneMet College on a floristry course to further develop her skill set.

Jayne is in no doubt that her YFC days were the catalyst for her new career. From competing in several young farmers’ competitions throughout the county, Jayne went on to compete nationally on three occasions, gaining places in the top five each time.

Since those days, Jayne has attended a series of flower arranging evening classes at Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham, run by Anne Codd. Jayne credits much of her knowledge to Anne, and also Anne Bell, of Wark, who died last year.

For more information visit www.jaynelonglandsfloraldesign.weebly.com, her Facebook plage jaynelonglandsfloraldesign or by calling 07718713428.