Town scoops three awards at In Bloom ceremony

A Shropshire town has won three awards at the Royal Horticultural Society's Heart of England in Bloom competition.

The awards recognise towns and cities for their impact on local environments through floral displays, community work and environmental schemes.

Shrewsbury took home the Horticultural Excellence, Small City and Overall Winner awards at the ceremony on Friday.

The wins follow a four-hour visit by judges in July 2023, in which they visited the town council's depot, as well as the town centre and award-winning Dingle gardens.

About 300,000 summer bedding plants, and at least 10,000 cuttings taken from the previous year's plants, are used each year in Shrewsbury to create its floral displays.

Chairman of the Shrewsbury in Bloom committee, Keith Roberts, said he was "delighted" especially considering this year's challenging weather conditions.

"Shrewsbury in Bloom isn't just about flowers, and it was important to show the judges that the whole community gets involved in the Bloom ethos," he said.

"We have taken the judges to a wide variety of community projects this year and we have demonstrated that there are so many great projects that help to improve not only local areas but also the lives of our residents."

Town Clerk Helen Ball added that it was the first time Shrewsbury Town Council had won the overall category, since the council's inception in 2009.

"The Bloom campaign is all about how the community comes together and we can see the civic pride in our town, which I think we have been able to demonstrate to the judges this year and winning the small city category awards reflects that," she said.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.