Childrens story writing competition at Braybrooke Garden Centre

A local nursery has added a touch of magic to its show garden with the arrival of a show-stopping 17ft long dragon sculpture, and a smaller 4 headed beast.

The mythical metallic creatures touched down at The Plantman in Braybrooke, after an 8000 mile journey from the workshop in Zimbabwe where they were created from used car parts and other recycled metal components.

The dragons are the only ones of their kind in the world and the team that painstakingly welded them, have previously made for the nursery, a 6ft eagle sculpture which adorns a roof in the nursery. Plantman Ian Colledge was so pleased with that, he commissioned the team in Africa to make an even more impressive statement piece.

He said: ‘Over the years we have had various sculptures including the eagle, sheep and giraffes, but we really wanted to spark people’s imaginations and so the idea of a dragon was born. We renovated and replanted our show garden so it has a fitting home where visitors can get a close up view of the detail, workmanship and hundreds of hours that have gone into making it.

‘It is a really creative way for the team in Africa to reuse and recycle thousands of car parts which otherwise may have ended up discarded or in landfill. They did such a great job with the eagle that we gave them this design challenge and our team and visitors are simply blown away by the result.

Although it has only just landed we have had lots of customers saying how much they love it. It will be on display seven days a week during opening hours and we will also be running a competition to give it the name it deserves.’

The team have launched 2 competitions to encourage local children to get involved. 'There's a colouring competition for anyone feeling artistic, and a story-writing competition for those who want to write a story about them....and to give them names. With three age categories, that means there are 6 prizes up for grabs', explained Ian. 'The overall winning story will then be mounted in the garden for all of our customers to read'.

Ian founded the nursery in Park Hill, Braybrooke with his late partner, Anna in 2002. It has gone from strength to strength attracting thousands of customers annually who are served by a tight-knit team including Ian’s twin brother Gary and his sister, Lisa. He said: 'We were all really excited about the dragon's arrival with the exception of my dogs, Boo and Bear, who were a bit overwhelmed at first!'

To find out more, email [email protected] or pay the nursery a visit. www.theplantman.net Competition entries close on August 11th.