Coventry City Council

Coventry is going green (and pink, yellow, blue, orange and purple) over the next few weeks - when 530 barrier planters, packed with flowers, are installed on main roads into the city.

Floral sculpted footballers, like the ones on the A45 in Canley, are also set to be installed on the route the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will take across the City on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 July.

There will be five sculpted footballers on the Binley Road traffic island and two on Greyfriars Green. Three of the five on the traffic island will be women - to celebrate the seven games of women's Olympic Football at the City of Coventry Stadium. The seven will then go on to be a permanent fixture in the city and will be replanted so they can be enjoyed year after year.  

There will also be 12 new metre high footballers constructed out of metal, and dressed in Olympic colours, that will line the route out of the city towards the City of Coventry Stadium (Ricoh Arena).  They will be located on the traffic islands between Binley Road and the Stadium. 

Councillor Lindsley Harvard, Cabinet Member for City Services, said, "It's going to be one great summer here in Coventry with the Godiva Festival followed by the Torch Relay followed by the Olympic Games Football tournament.  But even if people aren't going to any of these events they will be able to enjoy how fantastic the city will look every day.

"The planters along some of our major roads always look spectacular - but this year they will be full of flowers in the Olympic colours reflecting the spirit of the games. The huge footballers always look good and make people smile - so to have seven more that will return to the city year after year is great. I feel enormously proud of our city and I hope everyone feels as proud as me.

"As well as making sure the planting and sculptures look great, we will be ensuring the streets are deep cleaned and, every day after a game we will clean and sweep the walking routes between the car parks and the stadium.  We want visitors to go away with a good impression of our fantastic city.  But local people deserve a city they can be proud of too - so we will be making sure we clear up thoroughly elsewhere after games too."

Council teams will also be out and about over the next few weeks deep cleaning the main road and pavement routes in and out of the city. On Olympic Football match days, teams will be on hand to empty bins and sweep the streets on the main walking routes between the car parks and the City of Coventry Stadium.

Flags, lamppost banners, giant posters and bridge banners are also going up across the city in the next few weeks to celebrate the London 2012. Spectacular giant Olympic rings will also go up on the roundabout next to the City of Coventry Stadium in the first week of July. The work has been funded by London 2012 Games organisers and the Government Olympic Executive (GOE).