Where is Shropshire? - being a best kept secret is not great
LEADER - For years, Shropshire has been billed as being one of Britain’s best kept secrets. A survey out today reveals just how much of a secret it really is.
LEADER - For years, Shropshire has been billed as being one of Britain’s best kept secrets. A survey out today reveals just how much of a secret it really is.
Astonishingly, one in four Brits does not know where Shropshire is on a map. That may be good news for those in the know, who enjoy the peace and tranquillity of our beautiful county, but for business, it is nothing short of disaster.
Shropshire ought to be one of the nation’s great hubs for commerce. It is well connected to the motorway network, sitting midway between centres of great commercial influence like Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and it is within easy reach of London.
We have well-trumpeted tourist attractions like the Ironbridge, Much Wenlock and Ludlow and huge sums are spent each year spreading the news to potential visitors. We also have remarkably good conferencing facilities: where better for businesses to strike deals than a wonderfully attractive county that’s away from the grit and grime of inner cities and is blessed with exceptional, 21st century, state-of-the-art facilities.
Sadly, the message seems not to have got through and that so few know about Shropshire is depressing on many fronts. It says much about the paucity of our education system that the nation’s geography teachers have not taught generations of Brits about the beauties on their own doorstep.
And it is galling that while millions have been invested in impeccable business and conference facilities, the county is clearly not maximising its potential.
Each year, the Shropshire Business Awards celebrates the best of local successes and the event has grown beyond all recognition. Shropshire has much to be proud of. With so few knowing about its diverse business and leisure attractions, it’s time for the county to redouble its efforts and shout from the rooftops.
Comments for: "Where is Shropshire? - being a best kept secret is not great"
The Original Jake
To people who don't know where Shropshire is, I always say:
"Do you know where Birmingham is"?
"Yes".
"Do you know where Wales is"?
"Yes".
"It's the big gap in between them".
merc
And a lovely yawning gap it is too....because we're not part of West Midlands, we are a Border County
H. St. John Peasbody
I'm told that we're a local county for local people.
Dave
I always tell people it's next to Wales
I just figure it's less embarrasing than saying it's next to Birmingham!
Roger
Be careful what you wish for. Shropshire is one of few places left which reflect the British way of life. I would of course like to see more employment but not at any price. I don't mind the commuters who have found shropshire and prefer it to city life so long as that is proportionate. What I do not want is for Shropshire to get like the inner cities, lets keep it pure for the people who have always lived here and for others to visit and enjoy. Lets speak quitely of Shropshire to the people we want to come here.
Cloudyskies
"We have well-trumpeted tourist attractions like the Ironbridge, Much Wenlock and Ludlow." The problem is that while these attractions are enough for the mature and the very young, the gap in the middle has nothing to do or see.
Businesses will also argue that there's no need to have a presence in Shropshire if they are in Wolvo or Brum. There is a larger client base there and more profit to be made.
Roger
Cloudyskies.
You looking in the wrong direction. Shrewsbury as a shopping centre is not large enough in it's self. Shrewsbury is a gateway town for Mid Wales and Shropshire. It sits at the centre of a road and rail network enabling it to serve the needs of a far greater population. That is why parking is such a big issue. Shrewsbury is commercialy dependant on drawing in it's customer base from a vast geographic area. That dates back centuries through the wool trade and the Shrewsbury dock. When the Telford Centre opened it took lots of trade from Shrewsbury because it was easier to park and quicker to do the extra 14 miles than to enter the town.
Shrewsbury has always attracted shopping and will continue to do so as long as we make it easy to access.