Cool ice sculpture unveiled

There was a strong winter chill in the air in Shrewsbury today. A magical snowflake ice sculpture has been created for shoppers in the town by Shrewsbury-based sculpture firm Ice Creations.

The sculpture was unveiled in the heart of the Market Hall, where it will remain until it melts.

Alan Barlow, marketing director of Ice Creations, said: "We make ice sculptures for locations all across the UK, but it is especially lovely when we can display one of the creations in our home town as this doesn't happen that often."

To celebrate this first for shoppers at the Market Hall, a competition has been set up for visitors to guess the exact amount of water used to create the final snowflake.

Three entrants with the closest answers by the closing date on Saturday will win prizes provided by stores in the Market Hall. These include, a family portrait sitting or makeover at The Image Maker Studios, a 14lb turkey, courtesy of Corbetts butchers, and a side of smoked salmon, donated by Barkworths Seafoods.

Market site facilities manager Kate Gittins added: "Ice sculptures are a wonderful draw for shopping destinations. We have never had an ice sculpture at the Market Hall before and I hope lots of people come to marvel at how magnificent it looks.

"Shoppers will have to be quick to catch the snowflake in its full glory, as we do not know how long it will take for the sculpture to melt."