{"id":12933,"date":"2026-08-21T14:56:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/?p=12933"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:56:50","slug":"working-lives-in-bloom-a-flower-festival-heritage-open-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/08\/working-lives-in-bloom-a-flower-festival-heritage-open-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Working Lives in Bloom \u2013 A Flower Festival & Heritage Open Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Working Lives in Bloom \u2013 A Flower Festival & Heritage Open Day<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Discover the working lives and local history of Swindon through flowers<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Saturday 19 September 2026 | 1pm\u20134pm
Christ Church & Community Centre @ Christ Church, Cricklade Street, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 3HG
Free admission<\/h5>\n

This September, Christ Church in Old Town will be transformed into a celebration of flowers, local history and the working lives that have helped shape our town.<\/p>\n

Join us for Working Lives in Bloom \u2013 A Flower Festival & Heritage Open Day on Saturday 19 September, when the church and adjacent Community Centre will be filled with colourful and imaginative floral displays created by local organisations and community groups.<\/p>\n

The theme of the festival is everyday working lives, giving participants the opportunity to explore the occupations, trades and organisations that have played a part in our local history. From the butcher and the baker to the candle stick maker, the displays will bring these stories to life through flowers.<\/p>\n

🌸 Explore the Flower Festival<\/p>\n

Come along and enjoy a wonderful variety of floral displays throughout Christ Church and the Community Centre.<\/p>\n

The festival is a chance to see how local organisations have interpreted the theme and to discover some of the stories behind the people and occupations that have helped make Old Town and Swindon what they are today.<\/p>\n

And if you can’t make it on Saturday, the flower festival displays will remain in place and will be open for viewing only on Sunday 20 September from 8am\u20134pm.<\/p>\n

⛪ Discover our historic church<\/p>\n

As part of the Heritage Open Day, visitors on Saturday will also have the opportunity to explore our beautiful 1851 church and its fascinating history.<\/p>\n

There will be opportunities to:<\/p>\n

🔔 Visit the bell tower
🪟 Admire the church’s incredible stained glass
⛪ Explore the historic church building
🌳 Discover the surrounding churchyard
🪦 See the 23+ war graves within the churchyard
📖 Learn more about the history of Christ Church and the local area<\/p>\n

Whether you’re a long-time resident or new to Swindon, there’s plenty to discover.<\/p>\n

🌼 Enter the Flower Arranging Competition<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fancy getting creative yourself?<\/span><\/p>\n

Our Flower Arranging Competition is open to all and features four different classes:<\/p>\n

1. Window Display<\/p>\n

Theme: Jobs that Shaped Our Town<\/p>\n

Create a display inspired by the occupations and industries that have helped shape Swindon’s history.<\/p>\n

2. Pedestal Class<\/p>\n

Theme: Working Together<\/p>\n

Show us what collaboration and community mean to you through a floral arrangement.<\/p>\n

3. Table Exhibit<\/p>\n

Theme: Market Town Place<\/p>\n

Interpret the idea of the market town through flowers and floral design.<\/p>\n

4. Children’s Class<\/p>\n

Theme: Baker’s Basket<\/p>\n

A fun opportunity for younger flower arrangers to get creative and produce their own interpretation of a baker’s basket.<\/p>\n

Everyone is welcome to enter, so whether you’re an experienced flower arranger or simply fancy having a go, we’d love to see your creation.<\/p>\n

How to enter<\/p>\n

To enter the competition, download the Flower Festival Entry Form and follow the instructions for the class you wish to enter.<\/p>\n

👉 [DOWNLOAD THE FLOWER FESTIVAL ENTRY FORM HERE]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

☕ Refreshments and craft stalls<\/p>\n

While you’re visiting, take some time to enjoy refreshments and browse our craft stalls, making it a great afternoon out for all ages.<\/p>\n

📅 Event details<\/p>\n

Working Lives in Bloom \u2013 A Flower Festival & Heritage Open Day<\/p>\n

📅 Saturday 19 September 2026
⏰ 1pm\u20134pm
📍 Christ Church & Community Centre @ Christ Church
Cricklade Street, Old Town, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 3HG<\/p>\n

Free admission<\/p>\n

Flower Festival viewing \u2013 Sunday 20 September<\/p>\n

🌸 The floral displays will remain in place for an additional day and will be available for viewing only on Sunday 20 September, 8am\u20134pm.<\/p>\n

Come and celebrate our local heritage<\/p>\n

Working Lives in Bloom is more than a flower festival. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the people, trades, organisations and working lives that have helped shape our community, while discovering more about one of Old Town’s historic landmarks.<\/p>\n

Bring your family and friends, explore the displays, discover the history of Christ Church and perhaps even be inspired to enter the competition yourself!<\/p>\n

We look forward to welcoming you. 🌸<\/p>\n

🌸 Flower Festival Entry Form <\/span>HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

📍 Christ Church & Community Centre @ Christ Church
Cricklade Street, Old Town, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 3HG<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cc-home-page"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12936,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12933\/revisions\/12936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}