A “GUERRILLA granny” has admitted taking the law into her own hands to give visitors a more joyous and colourful experience when they come to Cornwall’s capital city.

Armorel Carlyon – a councillor on various local authorities for 52 years – was tired of seeing empty flower beds between seasons, so she has “guerrilla planted” one opposite the Thomas Daniell pub where Lemon Street meets Falmouth Road.

Truro’s municipal flower beds are planted with bulbs in the spring which are then removed in April. In June, the beds are crammed with a summer display of annual plants which are removed in September and sold for charity. The beds then lay empty for months.

“I like to see colour in our flower beds throughout the year, so I thought let’s make people smile,” said grandmother-of-three Armorel, 87, who has been an independent councillor on Truro City Council since 1976.

“This is the time of the year when people need cheering up. With all that’s happening in the world, being able to make someone smile now and then is good.”

With the help of Green Party councillor Karen LaBorde, Armorel has installed scarecrows Jack and Jill, as well as lots of colourful models of bees and butterflies, and signs saying “Cllr Armorel Carlyon hopes you like Jack and Jill and their bees” and “Where are the veg?”

She joked that she was waiting for the police to arrive as she hadn’t actually got official permission to brighten up the flower bed.

Cllr LaBorde said: “Armorel says at every meeting, ‘Where are the flowers, why are the beds empty?’ You’d be surprised how many are empty for many months of the year.”

As I left Armorel banging one of the scarecrows into the soil, a busload of people went by pointing at her colourful handiwork. Job done by Truro’s Guerrilla Granny.