Rowetta 'in tears' after seeing Manchester Flower Festival display dedicated to her

Manchester music legend Rowetta said she burst into tears after first seeing an floral installation inspired by her for the first time.

The ‘Queen Bee Rowetta’ installation is one of ten designs created for this year’s Manchester Flower Festival. Celebrating Manchester’s icons, the creations can be found across the city centre and also include homages to the likes of Caroline Aherne and Girls Aloud.

The floral installation of Rowetta, who is a member of the Happy Mondays, has been created by florist Adi Thomas and is situated within the Royal Exchange Manchester shopping corridor. There is also a design recognising The Haçienda nightclub on King Street.

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The Rowetta design also pays homage to the classic Haçienda colours of yellow and black, and the singer said it was an important moment for her. "I was in tears when I saw it,” Rowetta explained. “It’s great to see a black girl from Manchester being recognised like this.”

She added of its significance: “The dress is really similar to the dress I wore at Glastonbury when I opened the Pyramid Stage with Hacienda Classical. I wore that as a tribute to the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017 so the whole idea of this is just really beautiful, especially given the timing."

Rowetta was also honoured earlier this year with a huge mural in south Manchester. Visiting the mural after it was created by artists Ethan Lemon and Rob Fenton in February, she said she felt completely ‘honoured’ by the artwork and was emotional after seeing it for the first time.

The Manchester singer also celebrated a number one album at the start of year, having featured on Shed Seven's latest record A