Living and Working for the NHS Trust in Shropshire

The majority of our staff live within our main local catchment area of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales. Between them these three areas offer a rich variety of places to live.

Shropshire

Shropshire is the largest inland county in England. It is predominantly rural, with a varied landscape from the hills of south Shropshire and the borders to the lowlands around Shrewsbury and the Severn Valley. Nearly 290,000 people live in the county, in an area of over 3,000km2. The main population centre is Shrewsbury, located at the heart of the county, with a population of around 70,000. Shrewsbury is the county town with attractive medieval and 18th Century streets and buildings. The county also has several smaller market towns including Oswestry (15,000), Bridgnorth (12,000), Market Drayton (10,000), Ludlow (10,000) and Whitchurch (9,000). More information about the county is available from the Shropshire Council website (www.shropshire.gov.uk) and the Shropshire Tourism website (www.shropshiretourism.co.uk).

Telford and Wrekin

Telford & Wrekin is a smaller, mainly urban borough. The majority of the borough’s 160,000 people live in Telford, which comprises several older towns such as Wellington, Ironbridge and Oakengates alongside newer residential areas. Telford is a major business centre and boasts 140 overseas companies. The borough also includes rural areas such as the Wrekin and the market town of Newport on the border with Staffordshire. More information about the borough is available from the Telford & Wrekin Council website (www.telford.gov.uk) and from the Shropshire Tourism website (www.shropshiretourism.co.uk).

Powys

Powys is a large rural county in Wales. It is the most sparsely populated county in England and Wales, with the population of 130,000 spread between rural and remote areas and small market towns including Newtown (10,000) and Welshpool (6,000). The majority of our patients come from eastern Montgomeryshire in the north of the county, covering a population of around 50,000. Alongside dramatic local scenery, such as Llyn Clywedog, Montgomeryshire is also a gateway to Snowdonia in the north, the Brecon Beacons in the south and the Welsh coast.

More information about the county is available from the Powys County Council website (www.powys.gov.uk) and from the Powys Tourism website (www.tourism.powys.gov.uk).

One of the main attractions of this area is the fantastic outdoor life, both within Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid-Wales and the Brecon Beacons. The area is rich with opportunities for walking, cycling, horse-riding, camping, mountaineering, canoeing and sailing, gliding and other outdoor pursuits.

Outdoor Pursuit

Ready access to the Wrekin, the Shropshire Hills including the Long Mynd, Upland Powys, the Severn & Wye valleys, Shropshire Canals and meres, and the Welsh coast add to the wide range of activities available. Wildlife highlights include the conservation of Red Kites and Ospreys in western Montgomeryshire, and the county boasts one of the most varied geologies in the British Isles from Precambrian sedimentary rocks of Haughmond Hill to the igneous intrusions in the South Shropshire Hills.

History

Alongside this, there is a wealth of history with examples of human development through the centuries across the counties. Key attractions include the Roman city (and vineyard) at Wroxeter, the ruined Marches castles including Montgomery and Clun, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Powis Castle and Wenlock Priory.

Acton Burnell stakes a claim to have held the first English Parliament at which the Commons were truly represented, whilst Much Wenlock is not only a beautiful medieval town, it also inspired the birth of the modern Olympic Games. In 1850 a local doctor, William Penny Brookes, organised the first-ever Wenlock Olympian Games. In recognition of its sporting heritage, the 2012 London Olympic Games named one of their mascots Wenlock.

Competitive Sports

Most sports are well catered for locally. Both Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council have a strong commitment to sports. The sports partnership, Energize (www.energizestw.org.uk), promotes access to a wide range of organised activities including football, rugby, golf, squash, athletics, tennis, ice skating, shooting, fishing, and horse riding. Powys also offers a rich variety of sports, and just to the south of our catchment in Llanwrtyd Wells you’ll find the World Bog Snorkelling Championships as well as the annual Man vs. Horse race. Meanwhile, Newport is home to the Lilleshall National Sports Centre.

League football is played by Shrewsbury Town Football Club at the Greenhous Meadow stadium, and nearby New Saints regularly qualify for European competitions from the Welsh Premier League. Cricket fans do not have far to travel to neighbouring Worcestershire for championship cricket, or to Ednaston for international competition.

Shrewsbury and Telford are both easily accessible from the national motorway network via the A5 dual carriageway and M54 motorway.

The north of the county also has good road transport links to Merseyside and Greater Manchester. There are frequent rail services to Birmingham (including direct to Birmingham International Airport), Manchester and Wales. A direct service from Shrewsbury to London is set to be reintroduced soon. To the west, there is easy access to Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian Coast.

Housing

The local area offers a wide range of housing to suit every need, from town centre flats to remote farmhouses and converted barns. Our two main hospitals are located in the two largest population centres, offering attractive urban & suburban living within walking distance. With small towns and villages on the doorstep, both hospitals also offer easy commuting to rural settings in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales. State schools and high quality private schools are available close by.

Nightlife and Culture

The area has a rich cultural life. Ludlow and Shrewsbury both host excellent annual Food Festival's building on our town’s reputation as a great destination for restaurants and local produce. There are strong literary connections too. As well as the setting for AE Housman’s A Shropshire Lad, the area has been home to PG Wodehouse, Ellis Peters, D H Lawrence, Malcolm Saville, Mary Webb and John Osborne. The internationally renowned Hay Festival takes place in neighbouring Powys, which is also home to the folk flavoured Green Man Festival, the Brecon Jazz Festival and the Gregynog Festival (centre right) which is “the oldest extant classical music in Wales”.

On the border with Staffordshire, Weston Park is home to the annual V Festival attracting some of the biggest names in rock and pop. A wide range of other events are hosted at this stately home and country park, including international horse trials.

Theatre Seven opened in Shrewsbury in 2009, broadening the choice available locally, whilst the town also hosts the world’s longest running horticultural show every summer. Telford is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution with many places of historic interest including the Ironbridge Gorge Museum. The centre of Birmingham, with its first class music, ballet, opera, theatre and art galleries, is less than an hour away.

Shopping

Shrewsbury and Telford are the main local shopping centres, complemented by a wealth of market towns and local shops. For example, Bishop’s Castle offers an unexpected variety of art, antiques, crafts and textile shops alongside the renowned Three Tuns local brewery. The major shopping centres in Birmingham and Manchester are easily accessible by car and train.