Shropshire Star

Bridgnorth still in full bloom

It is considered one of the most idyllic towns in the county and has even won gold awards to back it up, but Bridgnorth is ducking out of this year's Heart of England in Bloom Awards for the second year in a row.

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Britain in Bloom judges Simon Long and Gareth Manning with Bridgnorth mayor Ron Whittle in 2017

Bridgnorth Town Council declared it has instead decided to focus its attention elsewhere and avoid "expensive administration costs" that could be used for other things.

The council has made the decision despite the town winning a plethora of awards in past years, including being crowned gold in 2017 alongside the specialist Heart of England in Bloom Horticultural Excellence Award for the Castle Grounds.

But deputy mayor, Councillor Jean Onions, who represents Morfe ward, said the town will still be looking as beautiful as ever.

"We're having to make continuous cuts and we've got a lot of other important areas to spend money in," she said.

"It costs the council so much in staff wages to fill out all the forms, enter the competition and oversee how it all goes. We've had to spend £50,000 to put our museum straight as the roof was in an awful state and spend money on heating Castle Hall, so I think it's better to concentrate on things with a higher priority.

"We will still do all of our flowers, hanging baskets and displays as if it were the actual competition so a lot of people may not even notice a difference."

However Councillor Onions added that Bridgnorth should not be cut out of the running for future competitions just yet.

"This of course doesn't mean we won't enter it next year, or the year after," she said.

"We want our town to look as nice and attract as many visitors as possible. We also want to get as much out of our blooming flowers as we possibly can which we will always do whether we enter the competition or not."