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 This year’s 120th Shrewsbury Flower Show in August is attracting a high level of interest among top nurseries and specialist growers, as well as a wide range of trade stand exhibitors.
The main Quarry Marquee, housing professional growers from across the UK, is full with more than 60 displays booked. Trade stand space has been snapped up, including a number of exhibitors new to Shrewsbury. Entries for the amateur competitive classes, including floral art and wine, bees and honey, are also expected to be high when they close later in the year.
The show organisers, Shropshire Horticultural Society, are also experiencing an unprecedented level of interest among coach operators and ticket agencies, leading to tickets being available already at various outlets – the earliest this has happened in the show’s long history. Some tickets for the event, on Friday and Saturday, August 10 and 11, have already been sold.
This year the Society has decided to allow accompanied children under the age of 16 to be admitted free.
Society Chairman Harry Wilson says: “We are conscious of the need to attract the interest of more young people – and this is part of that policy. We have been encouraged in recent years by the increase in entries among younger exhibitors and that schools have entered our outdoor gardens competition. The Society has made grants to schools showing an interest in horticulture.”
Television Flying Gardener Chris Beardshaw will be among the visiting personalities this year and he has agreed to be the gardening face of the show for the next three years, with particular emphasis on fostering interest among young people.
The show’s lecture marquee will house the Bayer Garden Road Show with Martin Fish, Geoff Stebbings and Sara Hopps, answering questions along with the BBC Radio Shropshire Gardening Time panel.
 This year’s military music –always a popular part of the show – will be headed by the Band of the Coldstream Guards, the band which performed at the first show in 1875. With the Coldstreams will be the bands of the Corps of Royal Engineers and the Royal Corp of Signals. Each evening there will be an arena performance by the massed bands, followed by the traditional fireworks finale.
Visiting choirs this year will be the Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir from South Wales, further cementing the strong relationship between the show and the Principality. The Maesteg Choir will perform on the Friday and the Shrewsbury Male Voice Choir on the Saturday. Also performing on the Saturday will be the All Angels girls singing group.
The Royal Corps of Signals motor-cycle display team, The White Helmets – regarded as the top performers in their sphere – will be part of the 12-hour non-stop arena programme which will include sheep dog displays, Grade A show jumping, and the specialist acts for which Shrewsbury Flower Show is renowned.
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