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The Super Lamb Banana first appeared in Liverpool 10 years ago to mark the re-opening of The Tate Gallery in Liverpool. The original stands 17ft (5.23m) high and is part lamb,part banana.

As with much public art The Super Lamb Banana was not an instant hit with all the population of Liverpool many of whom complained about the cost to the city (£35,000/ $60,000). But, again, as with much public art ten years on the people have taken it to their hearts. Recently, when a story broke that it might be moved to Manchester, Liverpool's rival city 40 miles away, there was uproar in all the local media.

Super Lamb Banana is now regarded as the unofficial 21st Century emblem of Liverpool and as part of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture over 120 smaller versions of Super Lamb Banana were designed by artists, schools, companies and community groups and displayed all over the city to huge acclaim.

At the beginning of this week (8th September 2008) 70 of these smaller Super Lamb Bananas were displayed on St George's Plateau prior to a charity auction. Over 50,000 people visited them on the two days they were on display (Mrs braces and me included, as you'll soon see). The auction raised over £500,000 ($860,000) for charity.