Shropshire Chamber's festival call after shock Shrewsbury Flower Show cancellation
Shropshire Chamber of Commerce has expressed its sadness at the cancellation of this year’s Shrewsbury Flower Show – but questioned whether it is time to take a completely different approach to the county’s festival calendar.
Shropshire Horticultural Society has cancelled this year’s show, which was due to take place in the first week of August, saying it was struggling ‘to put on a show that was financially viable’.
- Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox with the Shropshire Star’s free newsletter
The decision means thousands of visitors will now not be heading to Shrewsbury for the two-day event, with a potential knock-on impact for businesses across the town.
Shropshire Chamber chief executive Ruth Ross has voiced her sadness at the development - but has come up with a suggestion to celebrate the best the county has to offer.
She said: “It’s very sad to see the show in such a difficult financial position, particularly in what is the 150th anniversary year.
“I know it is a blow to many businesses in Shrewsbury and other parts of Shropshire which see a boost in business from the event, through accommodation bookings, and visitor spend.
“But it is indicative of the need to keep our events fresh and constantly evolving, to make sure we are giving people a compelling reason to give their money in these tough economic times."
She added: “We have some brilliant festivals and events in Shropshire which put our wonderful county on the tourism map, but maybe the time has come for the various organisers to join forces and work together to lay on one huge, spectacular annual showcase.
“Bringing together the best of events like the flower show, food festivals and agricultural events would perhaps make things more viable, and deliver a greater return on investment for sponsors.
“I’m aware that this may be seen as a slightly controversial viewpoint, but I worry that we currently have events which potentially compete with each other for visitor spend, which is diluting the offer, and duplicating effort.”
Ruth said Shropshire Chamber would be delighted to help organise or host a meeting of events organisers if they were interested in getting together to exchange ideas in an informal setting.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.