• Charlotte makes lifelike flowers, fruits and vegetables from paper and wax
• She teaches courses at Highgrove Gardens and across the UK
• She has made florals for Chatsworth House and Elizabeth Gage's shop windows

Charlotte Hepworth first encountered paper flowers at a craft fair. "I observed a French artist recreating a trailing morning glory, my father's favourite plant," she says. "I managed to convince her to teach me the craft." For years, she drove from Warwickshire to London weekly to learn from Monique Regester, who in turn was trained by Constance Spry, a pioneer in floristry in the mid-20th century. When Charlotte's daughter was a baby, she retrained as a primary school teacher and left behind her creative practice. Keen to return to her love of recreating paper botanicals, she took early retirement at the age of 55. A friend encouraged Charlotte to return to paper and wax, and she has not stopped her practice since. “Collectors who bought from me 30 years ago still come back to this day. They bring me the arrangements they purchased years ago to show me that they have lasted," she says.