Shrewsbury is already known to many as a great town, but this was officially recognised after the town won the prestigious Great Town Ward in a recent national competition.
Annually the Academy of Urbanism whose 1600 members include planners, architects, conservation officers and urbanists seeks nominations for their Awards which recognise the best Street, Place, Neighbourhood, Town/City and European City. Those nominations are shortlisted to 3 finalists in each category and following visits by judges the wider membership votes to determine the winners.
Shrewsbury was shortlisted alongside Bath and Lewes and Academy members made up a judging panel which visited the town in September meeting people from all walks of life to understand how Shrewsbury met the judging criteria.
The results were announced Wednesday 13th in London. Helen Ball, Town Clerk for Shrewsbury Town Council said: “To be considered as one of the top three towns across the whole of the UK was incredible in itself, but winning the award has put Shrewsbury on the map. We are constantly striving to find new and innovative ways to promote our wonderful town as a prime location.
Winning the Great Town Award was such a great accolade for the town both in terms of reputation and in regard to the local economy. We really enjoyed showing the judges around our lovely town.”
The Mayor, Councillor David Vasmer attended the awards ceremony and during his acceptance speech he said that “residents sometimes took the town for granted but every tourist he met enjoyed their stay and wanted to return”.
The Mayor invited everyone at the Awards Ceremony to visit Shrewsbury and “thanked the Academy’s Poet in Residence, Ian McMillan, for a wonderful sonnet about the town with a lovely closing couplet:
“Shrewsbury’s future, long as the Severn
Welcome to this place, this splash of heaven.”
The Mayor concluded his acceptance speech on behalf of the Town with some thanks and a tribute:
“We would like to thank the Academy for the opportunity to showcase Shrewsbury as a great town. The fact that we reached the final was a win in itself, but to win the Great Town Award is a huge honour and achievement. It is testimony to those in the town who work tirelessly with limited resources, huge financial challenges and rising expectations to create a place that we can pass on to the next generation.”