The GCA has this week revealed the Best in Area garden centre winners at several awards presentation evenings – North Thames, North East and North West, Midlands, and Wales and the West...
GCA Chairman, Peter Burks said: “We are delighted to have announced our winners and would like to congratulate all our members who picked up awards. The North Thames awards took place at Perrywood Garden Centre in Essex, the North East and North West at Cowell’s Garden Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Midlands at Planters Garden Centre in Staffordshire and Wales and the West at RHS Garden Rosemoor.
“Winners of the Best Garden Centre were as follows for the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) and Garden Centre (GC) categories: Squires Garden Centre, Shepperton (GC) in Middlesex and Poplars Garden Centre (DGC) in Bedfordshire for North Thames, Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC) in West Yorkshire for the North East.
“Best Garden Centre for the North West went to Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC) in North Wales and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC) in Lancashire. Winners from the Midlands were Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth (GC) and Webbs Garden Centre Wychbold (DGC) in Worcestershire and the Wales and the West winners were Endsleigh Garden & Leisure (DGC) in Devon and The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) in Powys.”
Other awards presented included Best Plant Area, Best Customer Service, Creativity and Innovation, Best Indoor Lifestyle, Best Outdoor Living and Best Restaurant.
The awards are decided by the results of the annual inspections, which take place at all GCA garden centres. Garden centres have no advance warning about when their inspection will take place and they do not have the option to turn away the inspector.
The Best Garden Centre and Best Destination Garden Centre awards went to the members that scored the highest overall mark in the area in their annual inspections.
The three top scoring centres overall, nationally, in both the Destination Garden Centre and Garden Centre categories will be re-inspected before the titles of Garden Centre of the Year and Destination Garden Centre of the Year are announced at the GCA annual conference taking place from January 26 until 29, 2014.
Ian Boardman, Senior GCA Standards Inspector, who was responsible for inspecting GCA garden centres in the North East and North West, said: “The area awards are always great events, full of anticipation and excitement.
“Winning an award is a great achievement in itself but also a brilliant tool for publicity for the garden centres. Congratulations to all those who picked up awards.”
The full results for the GCA area awards are as follows for the Garden Centre (GC) category and Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category:
North Thames
Best Garden Centre: Squires Garden Centre, Shepperton (GC) and Poplars Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Customer Service: Burston Garden Centre
Best Garden Products Retailer: Poplars Garden Centre
Best Environment and Community: Squires Garden Centre, Twickenham
Best Creativity and Innovation: Van Hage Great Amwell Most Improved: Van Hage Great Amwell
Best Plant Area: Sunshine Garden Centre (GC) and Van Hage Great Amwell (DGC) Best Restaurant: Squires Garden Centre, Shepperton (GC) and jointly to Burford Garden Company and Van Hage Great Amwell
Best Indoor Lifestyle: Sunshine Garden Centre (GC) and Poplars Garden Centre (DGC) Best Outdoor Living: Squires Garden Centre, Shepperton (GC) and Poplars Garden Centre (DGC)
Inspectors Choice: Aylett Nurseries.
North East
Best Garden Centre: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Customer Service: Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre
Best Garden Products Retailer: Cowell’s Garden Centre
Best Environment and Community: Cowell’s Garden Centre
Best Creativity and Innovation: Cowell’s Garden Centre
Most Improved: Beverley Garden Centre (Klondyke) Best Plant Area: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC) Best Restaurant: Langlands Shiptonthorpe Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Indoor Lifestyle: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Heighley Gate Nursery & Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Outdoor Living: Strikes Garden Centre, Northallerton (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)
Inspectors Choice: Langlands Leeds Garden Centre.
North West
Best Garden Centre: Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Customer Service: Barton Grange Garden Centre
Best Garden Products Retailer: Barton Grange Garden Centre
Best Environment and Community: Barton Grange Garden Centre
Best Creativity and Innovation: Bents Garden & Home
Most Improved: Fron Goch Garden Centre
Best Plant Area: Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC) and Bents Garden & Home (DGC)
Best Restaurant: Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Indoor Lifestyle: Wilmslow Garden Centre (Klondyke) (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Outdoor Living: All-In-One Middleton (GC) and Bents Garden & Home (DGC)
Inspectors Choice: Fron Goch Garden Centre.
Midlands
Best Garden Centre: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth (GC) and Webbs Garden Centre Wychbold (DGC) Best Customer Service: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth
Best Garden Products Retailer: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth Best Environment and Community: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth
Best Creativity and Innovation: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth
Most Improved: Stratford Garden Centre
Best Plant Area: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth (GC) and Woodlands Nursery & Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Restaurant: Klondyke Byrkley Garden Centre (GC) and Van Hage Peterborough (DGC) Best Indoor Lifestyle: Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC) and Van Hage Peterborough (DGC)
Best Outdoor Living: Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC) and Van Hage Peterborough (DGC)
Inspector’s Choice: Evesham Garden Centre.
Wales and the West
Best Garden Centre: Endsleigh Garden & Leisure (DGC) and The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC)
Best Customer Service: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre
Best Garden Products Retailer: Endsleigh Garden & Leisure (DGC) and The Old Railway Line Garden Centre (GC) Best Environment and Community: Whitehall Garden Centre, Lacock
Best Creativity and Innovation: Endsleigh Garden & Leisure
Most Improved: The Old Railway Line Garden Centre Best Plant Area: Raglan Garden Centre (GC) and Sanders Garden World (DGC) Best Restaurant: RHS Garden Rosemoor and Trelawney at Ashford (GC) and Trelawney at Wadebridge (DGC)
Best Indoor Lifestyle: RHS Garden Rosemoor (GC) and Cadbury Garden & Leisure (DGC)
Best Outdoor Living: Whitehall Garden Centre, Whitchurch (GC) and Endsleigh Garden & Leisure (DGC)
Inspector’s Choice: Whitehall Garden Centre, Lacock.
