Support and Funding
Shrewsbury Town Council awards grants to local organisations to assist them to achieve their aims and objectives. The Council has a policy of only assisting truly local community groups, ie those organisations based in the Shrewsbury Town Council area, or national bodies, with an independent branch in the same area, providing support to the residents of the Parish of Shrewsbury. The Town Council has been supporting 4All Foundation (the charitable arm of the Marches Academy Trust to bring life back into Ditherington Community Centre. The Council has agreed a 10 year agreement with the charity to provide community focused activities on one of the most deprived areas of the town. Part of the support has included the development of a community garden in what used to be the former school building's playground.
Following the vandalism of the famous gravestone of Ebenezer Scrooge, Shrewsbury Town Council announced plans to undertake essential repairs to the gravestone which is located in the historic St Chad's Churchyard. The gravestone, which was created as part of the 1984 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, has become a beloved local landmark and an important piece of Shrewsbury’s cultural heritage. This time of year, organised tours of locations used within the movie visit the grounds of St Chad’s Church to see the marker. Midland Masonry undertook the work which will help to preserve the gravestone for the future. The restoration involved expert stonemasons using traditional techniques to repair and stabilise the gravestone while ensuring its authenticity and historical integrity were maintained. As part of the project, Shrewsbury Town Council aims to enhance the surrounding area with improved signage and information about the site’s historical and cinematic significance. The Town Council have been overwhelmed by the level of interest in Scrooge’s gravestone with local, national and international interest - the Town Clerk even being interviewed by the New York Times and South China Morning Post.
Ambitious plans have been launched to enhance local services in response to the increasing financial challenges faced by Shropshire Council. While the Town Council has been a long-term partner of Shropshire Council on grounds maintenance, these new proposals aim to expand support and improve services further. The new Stepping-Up Team will address issues like street cleaning, graffiti removal, litter bin management, maintaining footpaths and green spaces, and tackling fly-tipping. This initiative will help fill identified service gaps and deliver noticeable improvements across the town. The proposed enhancements would require a modest Council Tax increase of £15 per year (30p per week).
Pupils from Condover College had returned for another year of work placement with the Town Council. They were in the greenhouse one day a week with their mentor. Since October they have had a work placement apprentice from Reaseheath College working in the Quarry. At the same time, we have employed a new apprentice following their successful student placement from Enable.
Hanging Baskets have again been offered to local businesses in the town centre to enhance floral features. In total 450 planters have been produced and will be watered by temporary staff brought in for the summer. The businesses pay a small charge to cover the planting, propagation and watering costs. This is a joint initiative alongside the Business Improvement District in an attempt to increase floral features in the town centre.