GOBOWEN’S specialist orthopaedic hospital has pledged its support to an Oswestry scheme set up to make the region more eco-friendly.

The hospital is backing the new One Oswestry Cup scheme – launched by the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) organisation and fronted by Liar Liar Coffee Shop.

Denbigh’s Restaurant, the onsite restaurant for staff, patients and visitors, and the League of Friends Coffee Shop at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Orthopaedic Hospital, have both signed up to be involved with the initiative.

One Oswestry Cup is a reusable cup for hot and cold drinks, which is available across cafes and organisations in Oswestry.

Customers pay a £1 deposit for their cup, enjoy their drink and then can return the cup to any participating venue to get their £1 back.

All returned cups are then washed and ready to be used again by another customer.

Victoria Sugden, charity director for the hospital’s League of Friends group, said it is great for the hospital to be involved with the new scheme.

She said: “We’re delighted to be supporting One Oswestry Cup – it’s a fantastic opportunity to help us reduce our waste as the cups are an eco-friendly alternative to disposable packaging.

“One Oswestry Cup is a great idea and I’m really pleased we’re able to put our weight behind the initiative and get involved with such a great local scheme.”

Prior to the introduction of the reusable cup, both the Denbigh’s Restaurant and the League of Friends Coffee Shop used biodegradable takeaway cups for hot drinks.

The aim of the initiative is to reduce the number of single-use cups across the town of Oswestry, following in the footsteps of the successful Shrewsbury Cup scheme.

It’s estimated that seven million single-use paper cups are thrown away daily in the UK with less than one per cent of these being recycled.

A range of coffee shops, pubs and restaurants across Oswestry are also behind the scheme.

The cups are now available for purchase in both Denbigh’s Restaurant and the League of Friends Coffee Shop at the hospital.