Shrewsbury is set to feature on BBC Two this evening as part of a new tv series called Britain in Bloom.
Presented by Chris Bavin each programme in the series, which began on Monday, focuses on a different community from its first preparations for Bloom right through to Judging Day itself.
Last summer, a film crew followed the progress of Shrewsbury to see what it takes to enter the RHS’s annual Bloom competitions.
The film crew visited the town on a number of occasions prior to judging day last July, with Shrewsbury Town Council staff on hand to provide details of the work involved producing and maintaining the varied floral features around the town.
In tonight’s episode, Chris follows the gold-winning Shrewsbury team as they plant a staggering 300,000 flowers. Every year the team is under pressure to create a show-stopping garden to wow the judges.
The episode also shows judging day itself with the judges being followed around town by the film crew to see Shrewsbury assessed against three key criteria – horticultural achievement, community participation and environmental responsibility.
Helen Ball, town clerk for Shrewsbury Town Council, said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to showcase our wonderful town to the rest of the country. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure that Shrewsbury’s flowers look their best for our residents and visitors throughout the year, and hopefully this programme will provide a glimpse of how everyone works together to achieve these great results.”
But Bloom isn’t only about the big projects, during tonight’s programme Chris also helps the residents of a sheltered housing scheme on the edge of Shrewsbury plant up their own sustainable garden.
Following judging, Shrewsbury was awarded Gold in the Small City category at a presentation ceremony last September and was nominated to participate in the national Britain in Bloom competition for this summer.
Britain in Bloom is on BBC Two at 6.30pm tonight and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
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