A CHANCE to win a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Liverpool’s Botanical Collection is up for grabs.

The competition is to promote the Fragrant Liverpool project, supported by the Liverpool Culture Company, which is investigating the fascinating story of the city’s Botanical Collection.

It has both a glorious and tragic past, and artist Jyll Bradley aims to draw all the fascinating tales together into an illustrated book and a billboard exhibition in time for Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture year in 2008. Memories and pictures are being sought from the Botanic Garden at Wavertree which closed in the 1950s, Harthill Nurseries, the Calderstones Park collection (opened in 1964, closed in 1984) and Greenhill Nurseries in Garston.

Jyll Bradley, the artist behind the Fragrant Liverpool project is collecting information and photographs about the history of the Botanical Collection throughout the ages. Jyll said: “I’d like people to come forward and tell me their stories about the Botanical Collection. Every piece of information counts in building up a picture of this asset to the city. Because of the age of the collection, it may be that people who worked there have passed away, but I’d encourage their families to come forward and pass on the stories they were told, as a way of leaving a lasting legacy.�

To enter the competition, people must write down their name, address and daytime telephone number, then send them to Bouquet Competition, Liverpool Culture Company, PO Box 2008, Municipal Buildings, Dale Street, Liverpool, L2 2WN.
The deadline for entries is Monday 12th March 2007. Please note that no employees of the Liverpool Culture Company or Liverpool City Council may enter the competition. Winners need to be willing to take part in publicity around the competition. A winner will be picked at random from the entries and will receive their bouquet on Friday 16 March, just before Mothers’ Day, which this year is 18th March. The bouquet will be created and delivered by Liverpool City Council’s Floral Services.

If people want to share their memories of the Botanical Collection with Jyll Bradley, they can call 0151 233 4399 to leave their name and number and they will be called back. For more information about Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008, please visit www.liverpool08.com