AT first it looked as if World Cup fever had hit Huntingdon s gardeners, but after much debate it turns out the animal created in flowers next to the Crimean War cannon is actually a lamb. Having been mistaken at first for a lion, celebrating England s ef

AT first it looked as if World Cup fever had hit Huntingdon's gardeners, but after much debate it turns out the animal created in flowers next to the Crimean War cannon is actually a lamb.

Having been mistaken at first for a lion, celebrating England's efforts in the World Cup, it has transpired that the creation is actually to mark the 10th anniversary of Huntingdon's twinning with Szentendre in Hungary.

The anniversaries of the twinning charters between Huntingdon and its partners in Hungary and Germany are the theme of a floral display at Huntingdon's Sebastopol Cannon Site on Brampton Road, maintained by Huntingdon Town Council.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the charter with Wertheim am Main in Germany, parks manager, Dennis Smith has designed a flower bed of marigold and ageratum in blue and yellow in the shape of the town's corporate emblem.

Most striking, however, is the lamb, Huntingdon's first three-dimensional floral display. The inspiration for it is the town standard of Szentendre in Hungary.

"The Lamb of God depicted on the Szentendre flag has a halo, but Huntingdon's hasn't," said Mr Smith, who built the structure with the help of his team. The curry plants which will form its fleece this summer have been tended over the spring months at the council's depot in St Peter's Road. Regular shearing will ensure the lamb's appearance meets with the approval of the Anglia in Bloom judges due to visit the town on July 14.

Mike Kennedy, Huntingdon's town clerk, said "We've already received a number of calls at the council offices enquiring about our new display.

"One caller suggested it was a dragon, which I can only assume was due to its carrying what looks like a St George's Cross." This is all the more unusual because Szentendre actually means "St Andrew".

Huntingdon Freemen's Charity, which owns the land on which the Sebastopol Cannon sits, has given permission to the partnership of Huntingdon Town Council and Huntingdon in Bloom to extend the area for recreational use. Plans to improve the site include the provision of additional flowerbeds, seating and an information board about the cannon.

Huntingdon in Bloom chairman, Peter Jackson, said "We're really going for gold this year and I'm sure this site in particular will be one by which the judges will be impressed, particularly since we will be making it a larger and more interesting place for local people and visitors to enjoy.