Campaign celebrates summer in Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is open - that’s the message of a new campaign celebrating a safe and welcoming summer season in the town. 

The Shrewsbury’s Open campaign has been created by Shrewsbury Recovery Taskforce, which includes Shrewsbury BID, Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council. 

Additional funding from The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Shropshire Council is being invested to energise the town centre, with colourful branding being installed around the town centre in the form of banners and flags, alongside a major social media campaign. 

With pubs, restaurants and cafes now trading again, a range of outdoor areas are being created within Shrewsbury town centre where customers can enjoy their food and drink in a safe environment.  Areas such as Milk Street and Victoria Quay are being transformed into alfresco dining areas - carefully managed and coordinated by town centre businesses themselves. 

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said the Shrewsbury’s Open campaign would bring the various initiatives together with a summer festival feel throughout the town. 

“We really want to celebrate the amazing shops, hotels, pubs, restaurants and cafes we have here in Shrewsbury, and help people enjoy them in a safe and responsible way. A lot of work has been taking place with businesses, the councils and ourselves working together to make this happen. 

“The Shrewsbury’s Open campaign will run all summer, with its own website and imagery popping up around town in the form of festival flags, posters and banners. It’s about welcoming people back into the town centre, with the necessary social distancing precautions in place, so we can all enjoy the summer.” 

Emily Waring, manager of The Armoury in Victoria Quay, said it had been busy since re-opening and she was looking forward to the rest of the summer months. 

“We have worked hard with other businesses in Victoria Quay to create a really welcoming atmosphere outside, with tress and floral planters provided by Shrewsbury Town Council acting as traffic calming measures as well as being lovely to look at. There is plenty of seating so people can enjoy a drink or meal alongside the river, and we are hoping to continue providing more outdoor dining into the future – it's really given Victoria Quay a lift. 

“The feedback we are getting from customers is that they feel comfortable with the safety measures which are in place, so we want to reassure people that Shrewsbury is safe and very much open for business."