New Amenity Space Manager appointed at Shrewsbury Town Council

Amy will lead Shrewsbury Town Council’s Amenity Space Team, overseeing the care and development of The Quarry and other locations across Shrewsbury.

Within The Quarry, Amy and her team will continue maintaining The Dingle as the jewel of Shrewsbury’s crown. Over 1.5m people visit Shrewsbury each year to see the planting displays within The Dingle which have contributed to Shrewsbury’s reputation as “The Town of Flowers.” The Amenity space team plant around 30,000 plants each year in The Dingle, from the 300,000 plants that are cultivated from plugs, seeds and cuttings at the Town Council’s plant nursery.

Amy joined Shrewsbury Town Council in 2017 as a Grounds Maintenance Operative and has developed extensive horticultural knowledge and experience caring for one of Shrewsbury’s most admired and valued parks. She is also currently undertaking an RHS qualification in Horticulture, further developing her knowledge and expertise.

Born in Shrewsbury, Amy joined us from Landmark, where she was involved in looking after sites owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Amy said she was proud to be taking on the role and continuing the work of those who had the privilege of working in the Quarry and Dingle before her.

Amy Jones, Amenity Space Manager, said:
It is a real privilege to be managing our Amenity Space team. The team we have a wealth of knowledge and experience and I am looking forward to building on the fantastic work that has been done over many years."

"The Quarry is such an important part of Shrewsbury and maintaining the high standards that people have come to expect is something I take very seriously. Those standards have always been at the core ethos for the Town Council and I want to make sure we continue that tradition, as well as looking at opportunities to develop and improve what we do."

"Since joining the Town Council in 2017, I have learned so much from the people around me. One of the things I have picked up along the way is the famous ‘Percy Shuffle’, which was passed down from the days of Percy Thrower, who was superintendent of The Quarry from 1946 until 1974. It is a lovely example of how knowledge and techniques have been passed down through generations of the team."

Amy and her team also take responsibility for planning Shrewsbury Town Council’s extensive floral planting programme, which begins in September for the following year.

"We do a lot of work in the winter months to prepare our displays for the following year,” Amy added. A lot of the work people see in the summer starts much earlier in the year,"

"We calculate how many plants are needed for each individual bed and then those plants are developed at our in-house nursery from seeds, cuttings and plugs."

"It is a huge operation, but it is something that the team takes great pride in. Being able to see the plans we have worked on through the winter come to life across Shrewsbury is incredibly rewarding."

The former Amenity Space manager Mark Bowen will continue to work for Shrewsbury Town Council on a part-time basis, helping to ensure his four decades of knowledge and experience remain within the team.

The appointment comes as Shrewsbury Town Council continues to invest in the long-term care and enhancement of The Quarry by developing a new Conservation Management Plan. This plan will help guide the management of the 29 acre park, balancing its historic significance, environmental importance and role as a venue for recreation, events and wellbeing.