Beautiful seasonal flowers from west Wales were amongst the blooms which graced Westminster Abbey for the King’s Coronation.

More than 80 members of Flowers from the Farm – which champions nearly 1,000 artisan growers across the UK – were invited to contribute flowers to decorate the Abbey’s quire and grave of the Unknown Warrior for the ceremony.

As 20 million people tuned in live to watch the state occasion, Ali Bell of Ffynnon Flowers, near Llanddewi Velfrey, was one of those proudly flower-spotting and knowing that the flowers she’d grown sustainably in her field overlooking the Preselis were now part of history.

Ali started her gardening and flower growing business in Pembrokeshire after getting her RHS qualifications and working as a horticulture assistant at the National Botanic Garden of Wales where King Charles III is patron.

"It was an honour to send Welsh flowers all the way to Westminster from one passionate gardener to another," she said.

The selected growers were given a mood board from the Coronation’s floral designer, Shane Connolly, which featured the main floral colours of burgundy and gold, together with bright green foliage.

Western Telegraph: Ali's dog Indie is never far from her side in the flower fields.Ali's dog Indie is never far from her side in the flower fields. (Image: Ali Bell)

“I was able to send Sweet Williams and hellebore and cytisus flowers and euphorbia foliage,” explained Ali. “There were other local growers - Preseli Blossoms, The Flower Meadow and The Floral Goat - who also contributed beautiful tulips and ranunculus.

“We gathered all our stuff together and delivered to Swansea, where there were more donations added then they were taken to the hub in Bristol where they were all taken to Westminster.”

Following the ceremony, the flowers were repurposed by the charity, Floral Angels, and donated to care homes, hospices, shelters and other vulnerable members of the community.

Through his installations in Westminster Abbey, Shane Connolly wanted to shine a light on the work of career flower farmers and farmer-florists across the UK growing sustainably on farmland, cutting gardens, walled gardens and allotments across the UK.

Today, 85 per cent of the UK population lives within 30 miles of their local flower farmer and the most sustainable cut flowers you can buy are from a local, professional flower farmer, cultivating outdoors or in polytunnels in their natural season.

A bunch from a UK flower farmer typically has just five per cent of the carbon footprint of an imported bunch.

Flowers grown in the UK represent only 14 per cent of the flowers sold in the country as most are grown abroad and flown in from as far afield as Ethiopia, Kenya and Ecuador.

For more information on Flowers from the Farm and to find your local flower farmer, visit www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk