Quirks in events calendar blamed for footfall decrease at Shrewsbury Quarry

Footfall in the Quarry in Shrewsbury was down by more than 200,000 this September and October compared to last year.

But Shrewsbury Town Council says the decrease is largely due to events like Shrewsbury Food Festival being held later last year after Covid measures were eased.

A report prepared by the council's projects manager, Stuart Farmer, said: "Visitor numbers have started to drop off over the past two months, and in comparison, to September and October 2021. Part of the reason for this was the fact that some of the Quarry events were moved to September and October 2021 following the easing of restrictions.

"Total Quarry visitors for January to October 2022 was 1.2 million, showing that total visits for the year are on track to be over 1.4 million for the whole of 2022.

"Whilst total visitor numbers have dropped off in recent months, the percentage of new and repeat visitors has remained relatively stable throughout the 12-month period."

It is, however, better news for Shrewsbury town centre in general, which has seen an average increase of 8,000 per month.

The report added: "The two sensors in the Market Hall and The Square have seen an increase of approximately 80,000 visitors over the months January to October, these figures show Shrewsbury is currently 7 per cent up on the national average and 19 per cent up on the West Midlands average visitor numbers."

Geo-Sense figures show the total number of visitors to Shrewsbury town centre this September was 174,014, of which 143,630 (83 per cent) have visited previously and 30,384 (17 per cent) were new.

The busiest zone during September was Market Square with 89,344 visitors.

The busiest day was Saturday 17, with 8,257. The Loopfest music festival, which saw live musicians performs in pubs, bars and even churches throughout town, took place on that day. There was also a produce market and an interactive Alice in Wonderland game which meant people flocked to the town centre.

Statistics show the total number of visitors to the town centre this October was 157,575, of which 127,541 (81 per cent) have visited previously and 30,034 (19 per cent) were new.

The busiest zone again was Market Square, with 82,424 visitors. The busiest day was Tuesday, October 25, with 8,859.