ONE of the nation's foremost floral towns is sexing up its image by unveiling its own version of the Lovers' Guide.St Edmundsbury Borough Council is at the forefront of the “Bury St Edmunds Lover” scheme, which aims to give the town a new and “slightly cheeky” image.

ONE of the nation's foremost floral towns is sexing up its image by unveiling its own version of the Lovers' Guide.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council is at the forefront of the “Bury St Edmunds Lover” scheme, which aims to give the town a new and “slightly cheeky” image.

The publicity drive includes postcards, a website highlighting attractions, badges, pens and car stickers, each declaring the owner is a “Bury St Edmunds Lover”.

At the scheme's launch at the Athenaeum in Bury yesterday, the council and Cattle Market redevelopment contractor Centros Miller teamed up to launch their search for volunteers to spread the Bury-loving message.

A spokeswoman for Bury Chamber of Commerce said the organisation backed the campaign.

She said: “We hope the word 'lover' will be misconstrued. It's about a new image. The town is known for its hanging baskets and flowers. This is a positive step the council is taking. We want it to be slightly cheeky, but not salacious or titillating.”

Council leader John Griffiths said: “It's a fun campaign that appeals to all ages - we've got Bury St Edmunds lovers ranging from toddlers to those who are happy to admit to being well past their first flush of youth.

“It's a tremendously exciting time in the history of Bury. Our medieval street grid is being extended into the new area so new and old will come together, making our town centre - our heart - bigger.

“We know people are proud of their town so I'm sure we'll be seeing many of them happy to tell the world they are Bury lovers.

“A love affair is about passion and commitment and as borough councillors we're certainly passionate about the beauty and attractiveness of our town.”

The Bury St Edmunds Lover campaign forms part of the overall £105 million Cattle Market redevelopment project.

Although the council was unable to provide exact figures for how much as been spent on the postcards, badges and stickers, it is understood that the printing and marketing budget for the cattle market working group is more than £27,000 this year.

laurence.cawley@eadt.co.uk