The winners of the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) annual awards were reveled on Tuesday January 28 at the Association’s annual conference, which was held at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. The GCA represents nearly 200 of Britain’s top garden centres nationwide.
Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “What a fantastic night we had celebrating our ‘Garden Centres of Excellence’ winners. All of them have shown immense dedication, hard work and enthusiasm in what they do and couldn’t be more deserving. Each and every winner is a real credit to the horticultural industry.”
There were 11 winners of the coveted Garden Centres of Excellence accolade as two tied for 10th place. They are, in alphabetical order:
Aylett Nurseries
Barton Grange Garden Centre
Bents Garden & Home
Cowell’s Garden Centre
East Bridgford Garden Centre
Fron Goch Garden Centre
Perrywood Garden Centre Tiptree
Simpsons Garden Centre
Stewarts Garden Centre – Christchurch
The Old Railway Line Garden Centre
Webbs of Wychbold
The Associate of the Year was named as Farplants
The Worrall Cup was given to Squires Garden Centres
The Garden Centre of the Year was named as Fron Goch Garden Centre
The Destination Garden Centre of the Year award was given to Barton Grange Garden Centre.
Justin Williams, owner of the winning Welsh garden centre, Fron Goch, commented: “Over the years we have achieved various awards in the north-west as well as nationally within the Restaurant and we celebrate these with our team and our customers.
“This year however, much to our astonishment, it was announced that we had achieved the highest acclaimed award within the Garden Centre awards and named Best Garden Centre in the UK 2019. We are incredibly grateful to our customers and the local community. None of this would have been possible without your support.
“I’d also like to personally thank all our hard-working team who have made this possible through their passion and creativity. Our team is now over one hundred strong and full of talent, warmth and expertise. We cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and dedication. Congratulations Team Fron Goch! I am bursting with pride.”
Squire’s in Hersham also had even more to celebrate as it was named “Best Outdoor Living! And “Best Indoor Lifestyle” retailer in the UK during the ceremony.
Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres said; “We are thrilled that Squire’s in Hersham has been recognised as the best outdoor living and best indoor lifestyle retailer in the UK. I am so proud of the entire team for all their hard work, and very grateful for the support of our customers. If you haven’t yet visited Squire’s in Hersham do come and see our outstanding selection of plants, furniture, BBQ’s, gifts, food and homeware. We also have a delightful Café Bar which is a very relaxing place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.”
