On Wednesday 1st August the Britain In Bloom judges will be judging Oswestry in the National Competition.  This is a tremendous honour for Oswestry and we will be competing against the best large towns in Great Britain.  In addition the Heart of England In Bloom judges will be judging Oswestry on Friday 13th July, 2018 a competition Oswestry has achieved Gold in for ten consecutive years !

The Oswestry In Bloom Committee are organising some exciting projects in the town and Cae Glas Park to show Oswestry at its best.  They will be working closely with The Meadows Primary School in Henley Woods and Bellan House School are involved in a project on Central Car Park.  The committee will highlight the impressive number of events we will be holding including the massive Hot Air Balloon Festival at the end of August.  Grey areas of the town will be a focus as well as the improving a planting schemes and street furniture.    

The Oswestry in Bloom Committee also runs its own competition and by helping us make Oswestry colourful you will also put yourself in the running for this competition too. Margaret Thrower, the daughter of Britain's first celebrity gardener Percy Thrower, will be judging the competition from the 16th – 18th July, 2018 so why not have a go. 

Oswestry Town Council will also be running the annual hanging basket scheme in the town centre and the In Bloom Committee would urge all businesses to come on board and help make Oswestry as attractive as possible, even if it’s to displaying a Britain In Bloom support poster. 

Please contact Louise Humphreys on 680222 for more details on these important initiatives.

2018 will be a particularly big year for Oswestry. Oswestry Town Council can confirm that the Annual Balloon Festival will be held over the August bank holiday (25th & 26th) and is set to be a real landmark event for the town. Oswestry is, by reputation, a balloon hotspot and the intention is to use Cae Glas Park to host over 25 balloons on both the Saturday and Sunday. Previously held in Llangollen and the British Ironworks this event will be a huge flagship event for the town and will hopefully become an annual event. To compliment the spectacle there will be a huge Continental Market, street entertainment and various family activities.

Also to be held this year is a centenary event celebrating the life of famous Oswestry war poet Wilfred Owen. This will be held in November. A brand new statue has been commissioned to acknowledge the importance of Wilfred Owen to Oswestry and there will be many tourism benefits during the year.

As you may already know Oswestry was awarded Best In Class in the national Heart Of England competition last year. As a result for the first time Oswestry has been entered into the Britain In Bloom competition for 2018. This is a huge responsibility and as a consequence the Town Council have agreed a new financial budget to invest into the town and park to make it look as good as possible in time for the judges visit.

These are just a few things to look forward to this year, all of which will have a positive impact on the town.