ANY customer expecting to meet an older florist when they hear of Emily Hepworth’s 11 years of experience will be in for a shock.

But they can hardly be blamed for their mistake. After all, not many florists can boast finding their future career aged 10, mastering the art before leaving school and becoming a business owner at 18.

For Emily, now 21, what began as a school project to find a Christmas table feature opened up a door to a new world.

Soon she was offering her time at Malmesbury shop Flowers Galore, enrolling on floristry courses and earning money through her trade.

Now she offers a “bespoke service” through her business Persephone Violet, with the kind of personal touch that only a one-woman business can provide.

“I think I’ve always had a love for flowers, my middle name is Rose and in old photos of me and my family there are always flowers around,” she said.

“I think they have emotions of their own and they’re great to be around.”

Emily sources her flowers from Holland and parts of the UK before carrying out all work, from arranging to delivering, herself .

Although based in Alexander Road, Malmesbury, Emily’s describes her set-up as a studio, not a shop, because would-be buyers cannot buy flowers off the shelf but instead discuss what they want to ensure the best end product.

Emily supplies flowers for everything from weddings and personal bouquets, to exciting events such as the recent Jack Wills and Beaufort Polo Club’s Gloucestershire Festival of Polo.

Owning a business is the ideal profession for Emily, who professes to “loving being busy” – but she her plans do not stop there.

“My sister is 10 now and she loves coming in and helping out, she’s got a real passion for it like her. I’d love to go into a partnership with her when I’m older,” she said.

“I’d like one day to expand into a flower school to teach the next generation to be the best they can be. I’d like to open a workshop and teach people how to do competition work.”