Gill recently set up GillMcGregorCollege – to provide Courses and Workshops for Floristry, Flower Arranging, Professional and Traditional Crafts; focused on learning practical skills.

Gill’s career choice happened by chance when only 11 years old. Her local school was hosting a horticultural show and she was so curious about the gentlemen bringing milk bottle crates with dahlias that she had to go into the school to find out what was happening. She was even more amazed to see them brushing the Dahlias with paintbrushes- “I expect to rid them of earwigs!”. She found out there was a children’s flower arranging competition -to design an arrangement in an unusual container. She chose to use a grapefruit and made an arrangement of narcissi – Her mother had acute asthma and flowers were never normally found in the house.

Gill won 3rd place and threepence ‘old money’. This started Gill going to every show that was running flower arranging competitions.

It was always expected that Gill would go into teacher training when she passed her ‘A’ levels but she wanted to become a florist – much to the consternation of the Dean of girls who made it a point to meet with Gill every week to try and guide her in a different direction; and as Gill said “you know that the harder someone works to tell you at 18 that you should go for this career and not that, the more you make your mind up that you are right to follow your own dream”

Roll forward 1 year and Gill was leaving Tottenham Technical College with one year’s floristry training under her belt and job hunting round the West End’s florist shops.

Gill had her heart set on working in a West End so she could shop either at Harrods or Selfridges in her lunch breaks; “Such was my confidence and naivety – I didn’t even have a written CV with me” said Gill – She had 5 interviews in 2 days and offered 3 jobs. Gill took the one with the most money – £19 per week, with fares of £12 per week – and only ever did window shopping!

Three weeks after joining the West End shop, the manager had to leave and Gill was promoted to manager with just three weeks retail experience. It was as Gill says “one of the most amazing opportunities I could have had”.

Gill met amazing brides and was able to design their weddings, she had experiences that many florists wouldn’t get even if they worked for a lifetime, and there she was, just 20 years of age and everything going her way.

Gill always wanted her own business and knew she would never get the funds to purchase a West End shop.

To gain experience of running a shop she thought she could afford in the future, she took on a new challenge and started working in Stoke Newington; and was the manager there for another twelve years.

Was this enough for Gill? Of course not, she simply had so much energy and enthusiasm.

Gill’s love of life and racquet sports led her down the competitive Badminton route.   This had been the natural route from school as she had been a keen tennis player at school where she played and won against girls 4 years older than her. Gill became a badminton coach at a sports centre in Tottenham. Her wish to learn more about designing with flowers led her to study flower arranging in the evening. Gill did this for two years and was then persuaded by the college to take a teaching qualification. Gill became florist by day and both a flower arranging teacher and a badminton coach by ‘night’.

Gill continued her studies for many years at night school whilst working to glean as much information on Floral Design and Retail Business management. Gill trained to become a qualified Floral Art demonstrator to frequently demonstrate the art of flower arranging to many NAFAS clubs and associations.

It was teaching that really grabbed her imagination.

“To impart my knowledge and teach floral and business skills to others became and still is my passion and I was looking for an opportunity to really make my mark in teaching”.

I wanted to be able to pass everything that I felt had been so lucky to learn and experience and to make other potential florists aware of what can be designed, for clients to fall in love with the designs you create, and that generates great profits too. It also provides one of the most amazing opportunities there is for people to run their own business or be the most successful designer so as to augment their employment.

An opportunity happened when Gill secured employment at Horticultural College as their only Floristry Lecturer.

From Gill’s first year’s intake of just 12 part-time students her student numbers grew to over 600 students studying Floristry, Flower Arranging and Balloon Artistry under her role as Head of School.

Gill worked their for 22 years and her staff and students received many accolades: student medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, Grade One from OFSTED inspectors, achieved Centre of Vocational Excellence status and the college students created many floral works for government agencies.

Gill loves to learn and seize new opportunities as they present themselves. Gill learnt the skill of Balloon Artistry- and travelled around the world teaching the art of Balloon décor; visiting Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Finland and the USA to name but a few. Gill competed and achieved European Balloon Artist/Designer of the Year and her most prestigious award was the Crystal Award – a world wide Balloon Artistry industry award in recognition of the work, promotion and qualifications Gill wrote and helped extend their uptake with other colleges around the UK  and  to enable the UK Balloon Industry market to help grow and develop.

Gill is a NAFAS Floral Art demonstrator visiting flower clubs around the London and home counties area where she performs to audiences to make 6 totally different floral designs to wow the audience and wrapped in a style that both imparts new creative ideas and delivers with humour – as Gill says it’s an “opportunity to ‘play with flowers’ albeit with an audience – I love that”.

Gill’s vision for her new college is that it provide both high class training for people wishing to learn a new trade or skill and to offer a range of courses for experienced florists, flower arrangers and craftsmen wishing to learn new skills and techniques for their own professional development.

As the college develops her aim is to increase the range of crafts taught with teaching provided by leading specialists in their respective, specialist fields and if you are that person or know that person then please get in touch.

What can students achieve?

Each course will result in the teaching and practising of skills and techniques, networking with like minded craftspeople, learning in a friendly and happy environment and a receiving a certificate of learnt skill level and attendance to add to their CPD files

Gill is keen to retain an open door policy and welcomes your comments, thoughts and ideas. To see the college and its courses please visit www.gillmcgregor.com or follow Gill on Twitter @GillMcGregor or follow her on facebook:gillmcgregorcollege