Town wins four awards at floral competition
Shrewsbury Town CouncilA town in Shropshire has won four awards at the Heart of England in Bloom competition.
Shrewsbury picked up the small city and overall winner categories, as well as the RHS Gold Award. The Dingle in Quarry Park collected the Mike Garwood Memorial Trophy for outstanding horticultural achievement for a second year running.
The awards, run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), recognise towns and cities for their impact on local environments through floral displays and community and environmental schemes.
Stuart Farmer, chairman of the Shrewsbury in Bloom Committee, said they were "absolutely delighted" by the accolades and thanked the town council and its volunteers.
The results of the annual competition were announced at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern on Thursday.
Shrewsbury Town Council said this year's judges followed a "significantly revised route", which they said gave them the opportunity to discover different parts of the town and see more of the work.
Judges visited the Column Allotments and Riverside Gardens, as well as the Weeping Cross Nursery, where more than 330,000 plants are grown each year, a spokesperson added.
"The judges saw the progress being made at Riverside Gardens, and we wanted to give them a fresh perspective on Shrewsbury by creating a new route to showcase other important parts of the town," Farmer said.
"The success of Shrewsbury in Bloom is something staff from across the organisation have contributed to and can be proud of."
Town councillor Alex Wagner called the awards a "wonderful recognition" of the skill, care and dedication that goes into maintaining the town's gardens, parks and public spaces.
Shrewsbury's overall regional win means it will represent the Heart of England region at the Britain in Bloom Awards in 2027, the council added.
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