Coventry Cathedral Rose to mark jubilee celebrations

Staff hope to have a bouquet of the roses ready to present to the Princess Royal at a service in May

A new rose has been developed to mark Coventry Cathedral's golden jubilee.

The Coventry Cathedral Rose, described as being a soft peach colour with a hint of pink, was launched at the city's flower festival.

The cathedral's chief executive Jane Woodward said staff hoped to have a bouquet of the roses to present to the Princess Royal at a special service.

A £2 donation from each flower sold will go towards the upkeep of the building, staff said.

Ms Woodward said the rose has been bred by <link> <caption>Edward Smith Roses</caption> <url href="http://www.styleroses.co.uk/index.php?catId=20" platform="highweb"/> </link> in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

The cathedral's 50th anniversary celebrations run until November and include concerts and a jubilee service on 25 May.

The decision to build the modern cathedral came after much of St Michael's was destroyed by incendiary bombs during World War II.