Cornish company Whistlefish, which has a gallery in Falmouth, turned heads at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show where it won an award for its stand design, chalked up bumper sales and attracted visits from celebrities such as Gemma and Hannah Arterton.

In its tenth successive appearance at the show, the art, greeting cards and gifts retailer was awarded four stars by the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) for the presentation of its stand, which took a garden party theme with a mix of pink and purple-hued flowers, and a poppy ceiling feature. Striking flower arrangements were provided by luxury florist Appleyard London.

Whistlefish was showcasing its new limited edition collection for the event, which features original watercolour floral artwork by artist Jess Trotman on tote bags, tea towels, aprons, greeting cards and notebooks. There was a live art session on the stand with artist and filmmaker Will Thompson painting a portrait of The Queen, the Patron of the RHS, over the course of a few hours.

Among the celebrity guests at the stand were the Their Finest star Gemma Arterton and her actor sister Hannah, who visited in their role as Prince’s Trust ambassadors, picking up some gifts and meeting Whistlefish founder Lyn Thompson.

Lyn started the business in St Ives 21-years-ago with a loan from the Prince’s Trust. The company has bloomed since, with ten galleries across Cornwall and Devon, and a busy online store.

Lyn said: “It’s been a fantastic year for us at Chelsea. We’re delighted with our four-star award for the design of our stand, and the queues for our 2017 collection made us one of the busiest stands at the show. Seeing stars such as Dame Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley and Gemma and Hannah Arterton walk away with our bags on their arms is such a thrill. It all made our tenth year at the show our best yet.

“We’ve got just enough time to catch our breath before moving on to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July.”