Infrastructure in place for Shrewsbury's new river shuttle service

A new jetty at Shrewsbury’s West Mid Showground, which will pave the way for a river shuttle service for the town, has been completed on time and within budget - ready to officially launch in early 2025.

The ‘Severn Shuttle’ is a collaboration between Shrewsbury Men’s Shed, the Sabrina Riverboat and Shrewsbury Moves, and will operate between the DMOS People West Mid Showground and Doctor’s Field, off The Mount.

Funding for the pontoons and enabling infrastructure has come from the Government UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) through the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership’s Shrewsbury Moves active travel campaign.

The work to build the pontoon has been completed by the team at Shrewsbury Men’s Shed, based on the showground.

Simon Rouse, chair of Shrewsbury Men’s Shed and a trustee of the West Midlands Agricultural Society, said: “In previous decades, the showground has linked to the town during the annual county show with a temporary bailey bridge courtesy of the Royal Engineers - in recent years this service has been provided via Sabrina’s picnic boat.

“We thought it would be a real benefit for the environment, town and showground to establish a permanent jetty and make the link seasonal for the public and events. The plan coincided with a new movement plan for Shrewsbury, which anticipated better use of the river for transporting people and work began in February.

Dilwyn Jones, owner of the Sabrina Riverboat, said he was pleased to be working with Shrewsbury Men’s Shed to provide the service.

“We have operated shuttle ferries from the showground in the past for large events, which were always popular, so it’s fantastic to have improved infrastructure in place on this section of the river,” he said.

“We are using a small boat specifically for the Severn Shuttle, so it won’t impact on our regular river cruises, and we hope it will grow into a popular service both for visitors and users of the showground.”

“We are grateful to Shrewsbury Big Town Plan, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the councils for the faith shown in us,” adds Simon.

“We are also delighted and relieved to have come in on time and budget. Almost all of the labour has been provided by men referred to Shrewsbury Men’s Shed due to concerns about their health.

“We are hoping this new link will assist the town in maintaining and even increasing footfall by providing a cheap, fun, and effective link to the showground.

“Few Salopians appreciate that the showground campsite is now the biggest provider of tourist accommodation in Shropshire, and making it quick, easy, and cheap for the increasing number of visitors to the showground to get into town should benefit the showground and town alike.”

Seb Slater, of Shrewsbury BID, which makes up the Big Town Plan Partnership along with Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council, said the river shuttle was an exciting part of the Shrewsbury Moves project.

He said: “Shrewsbury Moves is the name given to the movement and public space strategy element of the Big Town Plan, which aims to evolve and improve the way people can access the town centre.

“We are pleased to have secured external funding through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support Shrewsbury Men's Shed to deliver the infrastructure required to enable the Severn Shuttle to operate.

“We are excited about further initiatives, including an e-bike subscription scheme, which are due to be introduced in the coming months through the Shrewsbury Moves project.”

The ferry crossing is also directly opposite Darwin’s House on the Mount, and it is hoped that having the Severn Shuttle available will enable the new attraction to thrive with less traffic movement.