The historic Shrewsbury Flower Show, organised by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, which weathered two world wars, has an uncertain future. The popular summer event, held at Quarry Park was one of county’s top five annual attractions, bringing in much needed capital for local businesses and hospitality sector.
In a statement, the Chairman of the Shropshire Horticultural Society, Maelor Owen, said: “As a Society, we have struggled to put on a Show that was financially viable for several years. Over the past few years strenuous efforts have been made to reduce costs and boost attendance. Regrettably, the loss incurred by the Society in staging the 2024 Show was significantly greater than we had anticipated.”
In specific, Owen highlighted the recent changes to National Insurance and the minimum wage to have been a factor, including operational costs such security and barriers for the event, costing £150,000. He added, “Recent changes to National Insurance and the minimum wage, combined with the cost of living crisis, mean that further extensive losses would be incurred should we proceed with the 2025 Show. Such losses are simply no longer sustainable.
“We have therefore decided to take time to consider how best to take the Society forward to enable it to carry on providing benefits to as wide a spread of people as possible. This necessarily involves looking very carefully at the long-term viability of the Shrewsbury Flower Show. The Society is, sadly, far from alone facing these challenges.
“All options will be considered over the coming months and we anticipate making a further announcement later in the year. As the Society still has substantial resources it will continue to fulfil its role as a charity funding horticultural and local causes. In the past, the Society has made many donations to the town including donating the Castle and Porthill Bridge to the town and, more recently, making a significant contribution towards the refurbishment of The Quarry.
The Society is currently lead sponsor of the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition staged by the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and also sponsors a student through the Royal Horticultural Society. This is in addition to supporting various local causes.”
The Shrewsbury Flower Show was due to take place on the 8th – 9th of August.
