Shrewsbury’s floral features have been declared blooming brilliant after being awarded Gold in the RHS Heart of England in Bloom competition.
The results were announced at an awards ceremony in Warwick on Thursday.
Shrewsbury achieved Gold in the Small City category in the competition. The Heart of England in Bloom have also nominated Shrewsbury to represent the region in next year’s Britain in Bloom campaign.
According to Heart of England, its Gold award is given to ‘exceptional achievers who have demonstrated a consistently high standard in all areas of the judging criteria.’
Judges visited the town on July 12 when the floral hanging baskets, planters and containers throughout the town were judged against exacting criteria.
Councillor Keith Roberts, chairman of the Shrewsbury in Bloom committee said he was delighted with the results, especially considering this year’s challenging weather conditions: “This is once again a fantastic result for Shrewsbury and a testament to all the hard work by the Town Council’s horticultural team, as well as members of the Bloom committee which includes community volunteers and council officers from both the town and unitary authorities.
“We are absolutely delighted to have achieved Gold standard once again, maintaining Shrewsbury’s enviable reputation as the Town of Flowers.”
Helen Ball, Town Clerk added: “So many people work incredibly hard on preparing for Bloom every year and I would like to thank everyone who is involved, not just those who work for Shrewsbury Town Council but also our partners at Shropshire Council who make sure the streets are clean, freshly painted and free of graffiti to add to the overall effect, our businesses who sponsor the traffic islands and purchase hundreds of hanging baskets each year and, of course, our residents. Everyone pulls together for the best possible effect and the results speak for themselves.”