GTN's August 2024 issue highlighted some of the many nominations already received from GTN readers across the industry for the Glee 50 Year Hero accolades.  If you think a person, a product or a plant is missing from the list below, you have until Sunday 18th August to make your nominations before we ask readers of GTN Xtra and Glee Daily News to vote for their Glee 50 Year Hero's: 

• Most Influential Person of the last 50 years, click here
• The Character of Glee's 50 years, click here
• Hero Product of the last 50 years, click here
• Hero Plant of the last 50 years, click here

Or send your nominations by Sunday 18th August via e-mail to: trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk  (All nominations will be dealt with in the strictest confidence)

As the August issue of GTN went to press the nomination shortlists were, in alphabetical order:

Most Influential Person of the last 50 years

1. Alan Roper
2. Brian Evans
3. Edward Conroy
4. Guy Topping
5. John Ashley
6. Nigel Long
7. Norman Sellers
8. Paris Natar
9. Warren Haskins

The Character of Glee's 50 years

1. Anthony Harker
2. Boyd Douglas-Davis
3. Derek Bunker
4. Geoff Wooldridge
5. Nick Davies
6. Nigel Poyner
7. Peter Seabrook
8. Stuart Kitchen

Hero Product of the last 50 years

1. Drip Feeders
2. Garden Solar Lights
3. Hozelock Connector
4. Kelkay bagged aggregates and POS
5. Miracle Gro
6. Slug Gone – Wool slug pellets
7. The first Gro-Bag launched by Fisons
8. VegTrug
9. Wildlife World Solitary Bee Hotel
10. Wood Pellet BBQ grills

Hero Plant of the last 50 years

1. Astrantia
2. Choisya 'Sundance'
3. Kinder Plants
4. Pre-Packed Flower bulbs
5. Scabious Butterfly Blue
6. Surfinia

If you think a person, a product or a plant is missing from the lists above, you have until Sunday 18th August to make your nominations before we ask readers of GTN Xtra and Glee Daily News to vote for their Glee 50 Year Hero's.

• Most Influential Person of the last 50 years, click here
• The Character of Glee's 50 years, click here
• Hero Product of the last 50 years, click here
• Hero Plant of the last 50 years, click here

Following the nominations closing, a shortlist of the most nominated people, products and plants will then be voted on by readers of GTN Xtra and Glee Daily News during August.

The winners will be announced onsite at Glee 2024, which will run from Tuesday, 10^th September, to Thursday, 12^th September, at the NEC in Birmingham.

As the Glee exhibition gets set to celebrate half a century at the heart of the garden retail sector, the organising team is looking for your input. In the past 50 years, Glee has seen thousands of exhibitors and visitors pass through its doors, with hundreds of thousands of new products launched since the show’s humble beginnings in 1974. To celebrate the newness and passion that have shaped Glee and the broader garden centre market during this time, the hunt is now on to find the people and product that have driven the most change over the past five decades.

Whether advocating for sustainability or using their influence to increase the reach of horticulture, many diverse people have left their mark on the world of garden retail. They might be suppliers, retailers, industry pundits, or those who have undertaken roles across the full spectrum. Whatever their role, all of them have been integral to Glee's growth, and their work has helped maintain gardening as one of the nation's best-loved pastimes.

Or perhaps the best memories of Glee involve a larger-than-life character. This person may play a starring role in Glee’s memoirs, providing endless smiles, friendly advice and happy recollections from those that knew them pacing the aisles of shows gone by.

Like the people who create them, gardening products have also generated pivotal moments of change. From finally tackling an age-old problem, formulating an innovative bestseller opportunity, opening a meaningful dialogue about gardening's impact on the planet, or simply using technology to make gardening more accessible for the modern consumer, there have been many hero products over the past half century.

Now is the time for Glee's audience to vote for their own heroes and celebrate the people and product they think have had the most impact on Glee's future and that of the garden retail sector.

Matthew Mein, Event Director at Glee, said: "The gardening world has changed so much from the early 70s, with each decade ringing in exciting new trends and innovation. Throughout all of this, Glee has maintained a constant presence, year-after-year providing a place where the garden retail sector can come together to inspire, network and educate. Now, we want to celebrate those who have left a mark in a fun and reflective look back on Glee's half-century. We're excited to see the nominations, find out the eventual winners, and are prepared for a tidal wave of nostalgia and questionable haircuts!"

How to make your nominations

Working in partnership with Glee's media partner, Garden Trade News, nominations are now open using this link. The final deadline for making nominations is Sunday 18th August, with voting starting on Tuesday 20th August via GTN Xtra and Glee Daily News

• Most Influential Person of the last 50 years, click here
• The Character of Glee's 50 years, click here
• Hero Product of the last 50 years, click here
• Hero Plant of the last 50 years, click here
•  

Or send your nominations by Sunday 18th August via e-mail to: trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk  (All nominations will be dealt with in the strictest confidence)

Glee connects the garden industry to inspire change, drive growth, and promote innovation. To find out more or to register your interest in exhibiting, please visit www.gleebirmingham.com or call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.