The Scent of Victory

August 4, 2012

2012: What a great year to be British! Most notably, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the first Wimbledon finals to feature a British male in 74 years, the 70 day Olympic torch relay and of course the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

All of which have shown a wonderful outpouring of British pride.

The visual and audible spectacular of the Olympic opening ceremony was heightened, when the molten Olympic rings were raised up (while down dripped fake ore) and presenter Hazel Irvine described the aroma in the air “There’s a smell of cordite in this stadium. They are producing something very special, forging a moment that will live with us forever.”  We were almost experiencing smell-o-vision!

The Olympics and Paralympics also feature the world’s most watched bouquet! By the end of the London 2012, 4,800 of these ‘nosegay style’ Victory Bouquets will have been presented to the Olympic winners.

The creator, world famous UK florist Jane Packer, designed the Victory Bouquet to reflect the energy and vibrancy of the games.

All the bouquet components are British grown and the four boldly coloured rose sections mirror the London 2012 logo, in both colour vibrancy and layout. These sections are divided by British foliage (wheat; a source of energy to reflect the ‘energy lines; of the 2012 theme) and herbs (lavender, apple mint and rosemary). The eclectic fragrance of the herbs is a sensory enhancement of the medal winner’s moment of achievement.

Remember, smell is captured in the oldest part of the brain, the limbic system, which is responsible for memories. If the bouquet scent was bottled, the medal winners could close their eyes, inhale, and heighten the memories of their momentous career triumph/s!

When you are next watching a victory ceremony, revel in the knowledge you know all about the Victory Bouquet and try and imagine the heady scent that the medal winners are experiencing!