Shropshire businesses thriving as heatwave looms

BBC News

19-06-2025

Businesses have said the hot weather is attracting more customers - with shops selling garden furniture and barbecue food benefitting in particular.Temperatures are set to soar close to 30 degrees this week in Shropshire, with the Met Office poised to declare the first heatwave of 2025.The nights will also be much warmer from Thursday, with many areas seeing temperatures in the high teens.Kevin Furley, who works at Lakeside Plant Centre in Telford, said it has been a "phenomenal" year for patio furniture.
"For the first time ever, we've got two [shipping] containers of patio furniture in our twenty years of being here," he added."Parasols are a big thing too," Mr Turley continued, noting that the weather is "such a great barometer" for the garden industry."The more sun we get, the more people shop, and it helps keep the industry buoyant."
Next door, at Greenfields Farm Shop, the coolers are on full blast to keep the cheese and meat cold."Sales have gone up in potato salads, coleslaws, and quiches," manager Laura Griffin said.Burgers, sausages, and kebabs are also flying off the shelves in the hot weather, with staff expecting sales to increase "even more so" over the weekend.Ms Griffin added that new housing developments nearby mean this has been her busiest year yet.
Meanwhile in Wellington, bowls players Richard Suggett and Mark Doodson were making the most of the sunshine.But as the bowling greens do not offer much shade, they said they are taking extra steps to stay cool."It's best to keep water on the side," Mr Suggett said, pointing to his "tank full of water"."You've got to keep yourself hydrated, otherwise you start getting dizzy."
Bowls is "very, very popular" at this time of year, said Mr Doodsman."Shropshire is a bit of a stronghold in the bowls community," he added, noting that their "dedicated grounds team" spend a lot of the summer tending to the grass and making sure the sprinklers are running.
Opposite the bowling green, Bowring Park Cafe does a booming trade in cold drinks and ice creams."This weather is absolutely gorgeous, the park's busy, people are coming to walk their dogs, bringing their kids," said owner Donna Miles.She added that frappuccinos, milkshakes, and iced coffees are particularly popular.
Ms Miles noted that when the weather is hotter than 30 degrees, business does quieten down a bit.On those days, "it gets really busy in the morning, but then no-one is out in the afternoon," she said."People want to make the most of it and sit outside - we've got a lovely park here in Wellington."
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