Shropshire Day celebrates saint, tourism and beer

Tourism bosses, traders and a town crier have been celebrating their county to mark Shropshire Day 2024.

The annual celebration coincides with the feast day of St Milburga, abbess of Wenlock Priory, who died on 23 February 715.

One of the county's MPs launched a motion in Parliament in honour of the day.

Shropshire Council used it to promote the county's tourist hotspots, while local brewers and food manufacturers promoted their wares with special offers.

Shrewsbury's 7ft 2in (2.18m)-tall town crier towered over proceedings.

Martin Wood proclaimed: "Our county's history ranges from Iron Age hill forts and medieval castles to the site of the industrial revolution; from the hills of south Shropshire to the meres and mosses of Ellesmere and Whitchurch."

The King's representative in the county, Lord Lieutenant Anna Turner, told BBC Radio Shropshire she had Shropshire "running through her like a stick of rock".

"I love it. For the people, for the countryside, for what we do. I can't see why anyone would want to live anywhere else," she added.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan's Commons motion, spoke of admiring "the strong community spirit which is characteristic of Salopians".

The day has not traditionally been as widely celebrated as some county days elsewhere in England.

But in the age of social media, some local firms used it as an opportunity to promote their wares with special offers.

The parish church in Much Wenlock, not far from the historic priory, will hold a blessing service for the Milburga pie, produced by a local butcher, on Sunday.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]