PRESTON'S new mayor might be blooming but Rose Kinsella says there's no thorns in her side!

And the town's first lady is about to blossom into Lancashire's finest Rose - that's if floral experts can breed a new one in her honour in time!

The seed for the idea was planted in council chiefs' minds after the Preston Citizen printed a story about the mayor-making with the headline "Preston's Rose."

And the lady at the centre of the attention says she can't wait to see the results.'

She said: "'Preston's Rose' is such a beautiful phrase and I am touched that anybody would describe me in such a way.

"I have lived in Preston all my life and I love this place. The people are so wonderful.

"It is a great honour for the Citizen to call me Preston's Rose but the fact that the council are trying to name a rose after me is an even greater honour.

"It's nice to think of myself as Preston's rose and that the locals can be proud of me.

"It is one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me."

Mrs Kinsella, who has represented the St Matthew's ward since 1991, became Mayor of Preston last week, replacing Dick Evans.

However, the one stumbling block to naming a rose to mark Mrs Kinsella's year in office is the length of time it takes to create a new species.

Public relations officer Angela Courts said: "We have been talking to rose breeders about the possibility and the only problem is the length of time it would take.

"We're throwing the gauntlet down to gardeners who think they could come up with a new type of rose in time."

If you would like to get involved, call the Citizen newsdesk on 01772-255523.

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