Jewish Chelsea Flower Show winner: ‘I just cried when I won’
23-year old Gaby Lebetkin explains how a 'wildcard entry' took the top prize at the prestigious show
An ex-JFS student who won two major awards at the Chelsea Flower Show this week, “cried” following an “an emotional journey” for the prize.
23-year old Gaby Lebetkin won her company, Veevers Carter Flowers Ltd, a Gold Award and a New Design Award at the world-famous show.
Speaking to Jewish Views, in association with the Jewish News, she said although she “hoped” and “believed” their design would win, they had no idea that it would.
Of the three ideas her company briefed to her client the successful one “was our wildcard.
“We never thought they would go for that. We always thought they would go for the traditional centred into the middle, quite big quite classic, but they went for it.”
She added, the feat was even more remarkable because “the design team were quite young”, adding that it was “just incredible that our bosses have given us this opportunity, trusting three young girls in our twenties with this amount of money and a design.”
Describing the moment she was awarded the prize, Gaby said “I just cried. It was just everything. It has been quite an emotional journey for us.”
Looking to the future, she said “really enjoying my career at the moment so it’s definitely where I’m sticking”, adding that she “100%” wanted to make a comeback at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
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