Pughs new hoarding, proudly displayed at Shrewsbury Town FC’s home ground, the Greenhous Meadow

Funding provided by Pughs of Shrewsbury has gone toward upgrading sections of the Shropshire Way around Much Wenlock, as well as helped to establish five new circular walks in Shropshire’s Olympic village.  

The walks were planned by the local Much Wenlock Walking Group. Paths were cleared and new gates; signposts and way-markers have been put in place, to make them as easy to access as possible and  were officially launched by Paul Francis of the Wenlock Footpaths Group at the Priory Hall in Much Wenlock.  At the launch it was also announced that Much Wenlock has also recently been awarded Walkers are Welcome status.

Commenting on the project, Milner Whiteman, Shropshire Councillor for Much Wenlock, said: “Much Wenlock is a wonderful destination for visitors and I hope that more people come to see what the area has to offer after the creation of these walks.

“The completion of this project is a fantastic achievement by everyone involved and it is hoped to hold an annual walking festival in future years based on this work.”

If you would like to try the new walks yourself, they are freely available here.

Pughs of Shropshire is already involved with The Shropshire Way through it’s sponsorship of the podcasts. These allow those walking The Shropshire Way to enhance their experiences by hearing about the history and other interesting facts about the areas they are walking through and can be found here.

Oakmeadow School were the final visitors to Shrewsbury Sports Village for a day’s coaching under the direction of Steve Green, SSCFA Director of Coaching. This popular programme which runs throughout the year received a massive boost this season through the generosity of SSCFA’s patron, Peter Forrest, Managing Director of Pugh’s Shrewsbury. SSCFA has directed this financial support towards the coaching programme for all primary schools affiliated to SSCFA, bringing the cost of the subsidized day course to just £5 per child. The programme for 2012 will be available by mid January and there will be 25 full days available between late February and the end of June.   Seen in the photograph with the fifty + pupils from Oakmeadow are Peter Forrest; Gary Faulkner; Christian Smith; Tim Daley and Steve Green.

For more information about the Shropshire School and Colleges Football Asscociation please click here

The new Mercedes Benz is the latest addition to our fleet and will help us to cope with an increase in requests for funeral limousines.

Peter Forrest

It’s based on the brand new Mercedes Benz 212 E-Class, and is one of the very first to be delivered in the UK by Coleman Milne. The company is the market leader in creating, building, and selling hearses and limousines nationwide, and uses its own British engineers.

Our managing director, Peter Forrest, said: “We’re very proud to have taken delivery of the new limousine, and it will play a key role in helping us to continue to offer the very highest levels of service to the families we support.

“It’s a very impressive vehicle that will fit well in our fleet and we’re pleased that it will enable us to have even more flexibility to create bespoke funeral arrangements to meet our customers’ individual needs.”

Our garden at this year’s Shrewsbury Flower Show scooped a silver medal – the third year in a row we’ve been recognised by the show judges.

And even better, the award-winning garden will not got to waste, as now the show is over, it will be dug up and replanted at Hope House in Oswestry.

We worked on the design and planting of the gardens for the shows in 2010 and 2011 with Andi Way, from Boningale Garden Creations in Albrighton.

Phil Davies, Stuart McDowall, Ian Whitehouse and Paul O’Brien, abseiled 100ft down the tower of St Mary’s Church in Shrewsbury, and their brave efforts have raised £475 for The Churches Conservation Trust.

They joined 300 other people who all took part in the event and the money raised will go to the national charity which is saving historic churches at risk.

The Trust has saved over 340 buildings which attract 1.5 million visitors a year.

Established in 1968, the Trust’s unique collection of English parish churches includes irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology, and art from 1,000 years of history.

Pic: At the abseil event are, from left, Phil Davies, Stuart McDowall and Ian Whitehouse. Missing from the photo is Paul O’Brien.

We’ve sponsored this year’s floral carpet bed at Shrewsbury Castle – it’s an annual attraction that’s seen by thousands of visitors every year.

Pughs have been part of the Shrewsbury community for over 120 years and our business has grown with the help and support of the people of Shrewsbury. We hope this floral display gives pleasure to them and all those who visit our historic town.

Debbie Entwistle, technical officer for Shrewsbury Town Council, which carried out the planting, said: “The carpet bed at Shrewsbury Castle is one of the town’s main floral features and it’s thanks to sponsorship from local businesses and organisations that we are able to create these stunning displays year after year for everyone to enjoy.”

Pughs managing director Peter Forrest, with Jane Owen and Gilda Davis from Hope House

We will be continuing a newly-established tradition at this year’s Shrewsbury Flower Show.

Design and planning work for our show garden is already well under way for the 2011 event in August, and we have big plans for this year’s exhibit.

Managing director, Peter Forrest, said: “Last year we won a gold medal for our garden and it seemed such a waste to just take the garden to pieces after the event. So we decided to donate the entire garden to the Severn Hospice in Shrewsbury, and it was painstakingly replanted on the hospice site at Bicton Heath.

“This year we wanted to continue our new tradition, and so our garden from the 2011 show will be donated to Hope House at Oswestry, once the event is over.”

The 2010 garden was designed and planted with the help of Andi Way from Boningale Garden Creations, in Albrighton, and we are once again using their services for our 2011 display.

Gilda Davis, from Hope House, said: “We’re very grateful that Pughs have made such a generous offer. The garden will be in our courtyard which is an area of the hospice used for many play and fun activities.”

We were shortlisted as a finalist in the Business in the Community category at this year’s Shropshire Business Awards.

And despite narrowly missing out on the top award, the recognition was certainly a welcome addition to our proud history.

Managing director Peter Forrest, said: “Our company was established in 1890, and has been based in the county town for four generations. We are wholly committed to putting something back into the Shropshire community which has been so important to our business for so many years.

“And to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award was a wonderful tribute to the hard work and commitment shown by all our staff in supporting so many local organisations and causes.”

The Shropshire Business Awards were held at The International Centre, Telford, and more than 600 people from across the county came together to recognise the very best in business in the area.

Pughs managing director Peter Forrest (left) celebrates the award shortlisting with Topsy Penn and Paul O'Brien

We have agreed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Shropshire Schools and Colleges Football Association, and our managing director, Peter Forrest, has also been named as the Association’s first ever Patron.

Alan Jones, finance and sponsorship officer for the Shropshire Schools and Colleges Football Association, (left) receives the sponsorship cheque from Peter Forrest, managing director of Pughs of Shrewsbury

We’re delighted to be involved with the schools and colleges association, as it plays a key role in motivating young people to get involved in sport, and we’re committed to helping organisations in our local community.

As well as the sponsorship deal, Peter attends many of the matches and presents trophies and medals to the players, usually after cup finals.

Alan Jones, finance and sponsorship officer for the Association, said: “We very much appreciate the three-year sponsorship from Pughs, and the valued support Peter himself has given to us. As the Association’s first ever Patron, Peter has proved to be both a committed supporter and an effective spokesman for the work of our organisation.

“We have been equally delighted with the support for our Association shown by Kathleen Pugh, and her daughter Helen and her husband Gary. We’re looking forward to a fruitful and successful partnership.”

The football programme delivered by Shropshire Schools and Colleges Football Association (SSCFA) provides opportunities for all boys and girls between the ages of seven and 18.
It includes county, regional and national competitions for member schools and county teams, as well as a curriculum release coaching centre.