Floral spectacular as castle celebrates 50 years

Twenty volunteers and staff from 10 National Trust properties across Devon have teamed up with the British Academy of Floral Art for a celebration with flowers.

Together they have created floral installations for Castle Drogo in Devon to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Trust at the historic attraction.

The site is hosting the "spectacular" event in collaboration with the academy from 2-8 May, organisers said.

Visitors can admire more than 18 floral designs which the academy says will enhance the castle's grand interiors.

Tina Parkes, director of the academy, told BBC News: "We've taken each of the rooms and designed floral arrangements to enhance the colour scheme, furniture, and style of the room.

"We've also had a look at some of the floral arrangements that they would have used in the 1920s and 1930s, so we'll include some of those as well."

She said it had been "lovely to have the privilege of going and looking at the house and going around all the different rooms".

The trust and the academy "seem like a really nice fit", she said.

"I'm going to be taking two of my students with me.

"It's a great opportunity for them as well, not just to practice their flower arranging skills but also their teaching and working with other people skills.

"The National Trust is an amazing group of people who work so hard, and it's really nice to work with them.

"We're hoping that this event might lead to many more interesting ventures."

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].