Church Stretton, venue for the gathering. Photo: Dpaajones CC-BY-SA-3.0

Outdoor writers and photographers will converge on Shropshire this weekend for their annual bash.

The Church Stretton gathering will be the scene for the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild’s awards for excellence ceremony.

The guild, which has 165 members who are all actively and professionally involved in outdoor media, and includes journalists, authors, filmmakers, photographers, publishers, and editors, expects about 60 people at its meeting in the Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty.

Guild president Roly Smith said: “I’ve known and loved Shropshire for more than 30 years, since I worked in Birmingham with Vivian Bird, the man who came up with the Six Shropshire Summits Walk.

“There can be few English counties with such a variety of dramatic hill scenery and all-pervading sense of history, so we are delighted to have been invited here for our annual meeting and dinner.”

Chairman Jonathan Williams said guild members were delighted to have the opportunity to explore the area: “Shropshire’s landscapes and geology are one of the country’s jewels and Church Stretton lies in some of the finest walking areas, close to member’s hearts.”

The organisation’s awards for excellence will be presented during a dinner at the National Trust’s Chalet Pavilion on Saturday evening.