For more than a century, Shrewsbury has been celebrated as the 'town of flowers,' largely due to its famous annual Flower Show. However, recent challenges have cast a shadow over this cherished event. The Shropshire Horticultural Society announced that the 2024 Shrewsbury Flower Show would be cancelled, marking only the fourth time since its inception in 1854 that the show will not take place.
The organisers cited a combination of financial pressures as the primary reasons behind the cancellation. Rising costs linked to changes in National Insurance contributions and minimum wage increases, alongside escalating security expenses, have made the event financially untenable. In 2024 alone, the festival had to spend over £150,000 on enhanced security measures and barriers following disruptions at the 2023 show.
The 2023 event, which had just marked the show's return after a pandemic-induced cancellation in 2020, was overshadowed by a bomb threat later revealed to be a hoax. This incident led to widespread disruption, including an evacuation of the event site and stringent security arrangements for the 2024 show. The enforcement of Martyn’s Law, a new legislative requirement that any venue with a capacity over 200 must have an attack response plan, further compounded the security demands on organisers.
Despite this, the decision to cancel the show has sparked frustration across the community, with many residents and business owners expressing concerns about the economic impact on the town. For Shrewsbury’s hospitality sector, the Flower Show weekend traditionally represents the most lucrative period of the year. Hotel and bed and breakfast bookings often fill up years in advance to accommodate the influx of visitors.
Danielle Ditella, owner of The Loopy Shrew bar as well as several local B&Bs, told MailOnline: “We will be losing thousands because of it, others will lose more. We are guaranteed the B&B business during the festival and some of the rooms are actually booked up a full year in advance. We won’t necessarily get the trade back. It will really affect the town’s economy.” She added, “There has been a decline in the festival over the last few years, it hadn’t really kept up with the times if I’m honest. We’re the town of flowers without a flower show. I would like to think we can replace it with something else. The government need to wake up and see how desperate the hospitality industry is.”
Other business owners echoed these concerns, noting the show’s importance to Shrewsbury’s identity and financial health. One local landlord commented, “It’s always been popular and brings thousands of people here every summer. That’s a lot of people suddenly not coming to Shrewsbury every year. We’re known for it and have lost our identity overnight.”
The Flower Show is traditionally held in the town’s Quarry Park, a location long associated with the event. However, residents conveyed mixed feelings about the festival’s recent trajectory. While some mourned its decline, others expressed resentment toward what they perceived as increasing elitism and commercialisation. Notably, last year's absence of any royal family members—a long-standing feature of the show—was viewed by some as a critical blow. One anonymous local said, “That killed them. Every year prices would go up and up and they’d cling to this idea that they were a ‘royal event’! You reap what you sow in the end, local people had been priced out.”
Regular attendees, such as Welsh couple Gillian and Wayne Llewellyn, who have been visiting the show for over twenty years and even purchased a holiday home in Shrewsbury, expressed their disappointment. Wayne remarked, “One of the attractions was going to the show every year. This is the county town—you’d have thought cost wouldn’t be a problem for them.” Gillian added, “Shrewsbury will suffer for this, anywhere is a security threat.”
The severe security concerns stemming from the 2023 bomb scare remain a significant part of local discussions. West Mercia Police deemed the threat a hoax, yet the two-day festival was severely disrupted. The subsequent imposition of tight security measures for the 2024 event led to criticisms that the arrangements made the town difficult to navigate. One local recalled, “Everyone around here knows who called in the bomb hoax, but nobody will tell you.”
Some residents suspect that the stated security costs may mask other influences. "It’s a question of funding, the government really should have stepped in. It brings so much to town, it’s a massive boost," said one hospitality worker who preferred to remain anonymous. He expressed scepticism about the threat of terrorism at a flower show and suggested that complaints from wealthy homeowners, who live along the river and disliked the noise and crowds, may have contributed to pressure against the festival.
Val and John Winchester, longtime residents of Shrewsbury, voiced their sadness over the show’s demise while acknowledging challenges it faced. “There’s so many RHS shows around and they burned themselves trying to compete with the others,” Val said. “They got too cocky. It became too expensive for a family to go. They were also charging trade stands an arm and a leg to even set up a pitch so they aren’t coming. And the ones that do had to up their prices to make ends meet.” John added, “The death knell was when the royals didn’t come last year. That’s when you know it had properly ran out of road. It will have a huge knock-on effect for the town obviously, it brings in a lot of money every year.” Val also recalled the impact of the heightened security, saying, “Nobody could get through the Quarry at all for the entire thing. People had to walk around the entire town to get where they needed.”
The cancellation of the Shrewsbury Flower Show marks a significant moment for the town, reflecting both the logistical challenges of running large public events in the current climate and the evolving socio-economic dynamics within the community. The festival has long been a pivotal occasion for Shrewsbury, blending horticultural excellence with cultural and economic benefits, and its absence in 2024 is felt across various sectors.
Attempts to contact the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Shropshire County Council, and the Shropshire Horticultural Society for official comment have been made, with further statements pending.
Source: Noah Wire Services