Towns blooming as flower contest judges visit

Two towns have been pulling out all the stops to get floral displays at their best, as Britain in Bloom judges tour Shropshire.

The judges will be in Oswestry on Wednesday after visiting Shrewsbury last week.

Town clerk for Shrewsbury Helen Ball said judges arrived on a lovely, sunny day, flowerbeds were flourishing and at their peak, and people had their fingers crossed, adding: "It's always a good opportunity to showcase your town and also be judged by your peers as well."

In Oswestry, town clerk Arren Roberts said the effort had been community-led, and volunteers were at work on Tuesday making sure streets looked good for the visit.

Ms Ball said recent dry weather had been a "nightmare" with scorching temperatures, adding: "Two or three weeks ago when we were hitting 35C, the plants were cooking.

"We had to replace 20 hanging baskets and we were on the verge of giving up, but we kept trying and we've got over that storm, but it's been a tough season."

Mr Roberts said the weather had proved challenging and Oswestry had lost some trees to dry weather, but he said teams had been out working hard and caring for hanging baskets and plants.

He said: "The town's looking good and we're really excited for tomorrow."

Britain in Bloom is run by the Royal Horticultural Society and is set up to inspire community groups to make positive changes to their local environment with horticultural, environmental and community action.