A Shropshire firm has been a blooming success at the Chelsea Flower Show, picking up the prestigious RHS certificate of commendation award for its stands.

It is the ninth year CJ WildBird Foods, based in Upton Magna near Shrewsbury, has attended the world famous flower show.

Despite fears this year’s show would not be as well received as previously due to the economic downturn, the show was a sell-out with more than 157,000 visitors expected through the doors during the five-day event.

Chris Whittles, chairman of CJ WildBird Foods, said: “The Chelsea show is a great opportunity for us to meet customers, get feedback and introduce new products.

“We had concerns the current economic climate might affect attendance and sales this year, but we’ve been really pleased with the number of people visiting us at the show.”

Visitors attending the show on Thursday found an extra treat on the CJ WildBird Foods stand as Mike Dilger, best known for his regular wildlife reports on BBC1′s The One Show, was on hand to meet visitors.

He said: “It’s the first time I’ve been to the Chelsea show and I found it fascinating to chat with CJ’s visitors about such a broad range of back-garden wildlife issues.”

Mike writes a monthly column for CJ WildBird foods, which is published on the company’s website www.birdfood.co.uk

CJ WildBird Foods, which employs about 200 people at its base near Shrewsbury and branches in Europe, will also be attending the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show in July.