Wallace and Gromit win Tatton gold
Oscar Winning animator Nick Park will soon enjoy a grand day out to see his famous plasticine characters given a gold-medal winning floral twist.
The Wallace and Gromit creator is to visit Preston's entry into this year's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Flower Show at Tatton Park in Cheshire.
Council gardeners spent a year planning a show-stopping tribute to the freeman of the city - a 3D display featuring papier-mch models of Wallace and Gromit - using more than 2,000 plants.
And on Wednesday their hard work paid off, scooping a gold medal for the seven metre by four metre display of gold marigolds, silver cineraria, busy lizzies, ageratum and alternanthra.
The team have won awards at Tatton for four consecutive years, including Best in Show in 2006, and this year's display is a major talking point at the show.
Preston Council gardener Tony Lewis put the design together with nursery head foreman Alan Rampling. He said: "We had to wait until Wednesday to get the result. It was very nerve-wracking.
"It's the third time in a row we've got gold. It's great."
The four-time Oscar winner, of Aardman Animations, who grew up in Walmer Bridge, near Preston, was set to visit Tatton Park today.
He said: "I was surprised and excited to hear that the gardeners at Preston Council had chosen to theme their Tatton Show entry on my characters, and am very much looking forward to seeing the finished display."
During Nick's visit he will meet Mayor of Preston Coun Christine Abram and council gardeners Alan Rampling and Tony Lewis who spent three days building their creation on site.
Mr Rampling said: "Wallace and Gromit are fantastic characters and with Nick Park being an honorary freeman it seemed ideal. It has been the most complex display we've created, but also the most fun."
Coun Christine Abram said: "The council's gardeners have yet again dreamt up a wonderfully creative idea."
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Weather for Preston
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 14 C to 18 C
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