YORK is set to be blooming lovely this week, as its centre will be filled with hundreds of flowers.

One of the city's top employers, Portakabin, a subsidiary of the Shepherd Building Group, has donated two large cubes, each of which will be filled with hundreds of summer flowers.

Staff at Portakabin have made the wooden tubs and have also grown the plants to put in them.

The tubs will join a host of other floral arrangements in the city, which have been co-ordinated by York In Bloom - part of the York Business Pride initiative.

Adam Sinclair, chairman of the York Business Pride Board, said the donation from Shepherd Building Group was indicative of the support of the city's business community.

He said: "The York In Bloom project has already proved a resounding success, and we're getting a lot of positive comments from residents and visitors.

"We're delighted that high profile companies such as Shepherd Building Group, already one of the main sponsors of York Business Pride, and its subsidiary Portakabin, are supporting this project. "

Patrick Shepherd, deputy chairman of Shepherd Building Group, said: "We are delighted to be involved with this initiative, which helps to make our city one to be proud of."

More than 40 businesses have already put their support behind the York In Bloom campaign by purchasing 109 hanging baskets.

Updated: 10:38 Tuesday, June 22, 2004