New shops are opening in our thriving town
UK — Tourism and trade go hand-in-hand in Upton-upon-Severn.
The town has a strong independent identity and an army of volunteers who work together to ensure that the annual festivals thrive and local business survives.
Upton’s Tourism and Trade Association committee has doubled in size, from six to 12, in the past year and there is just one empty shop in the picturesque town centre, compared with to half a dozen this time last year.
Angela Conway opened her gift shop, Number 24, in Old Street, Upton, in November last year and joined the committee a month later.
“It’s been really good,” she said. “The whole town has really recovered from the 2007 floods. There are new shops opening and, I think, we are really on the road to recovery. The annual jazz and blues festivals certainly help.”
Peter Webb, an active member of the 80-strong trade and tourism association, believes the recent growth in independent trade speaks volumes and, controversially, can be put down to the fact the town could soon get permanent flood defences.
