Yorkshire Garden Centres Group has reached the final in the Large Organisation of the Year category at the British HR Awards, which celebrate organisations and individuals delivering a world-class people experience.

The recognition comes after a period of significant growth for the family-owned business, which has expanded from one site with 45 employees in 2015 to seven garden centres across Yorkshire employing more than 630 people today.

People and culture director, Neil Barwise-Carr, said:

“We have a fantastic team at Yorkshire Garden Centres and we’re incredibly proud that the work we do to create a great place to work has been recognised with a place in the final of this prestigious national award.

“Our approach is built around our GREAT values and the belief that we can only succeed by creating an environment where people feel valued, supported and proud to belong. As we’ve grown, we’ve worked hard to keep those values at the heart of everyday experiences for our teams.”

During the past year, the group has introduced a number of initiatives designed to strengthen employee engagement and recognition across its growing workforce, developing future talent and helping maintain connection with teams spread across multiple locations. Activities ranged from “lunch on us” days and free flu jabs to mental health awareness initiatives and celebrations of Pride, creating regular opportunities for teams to connect and feel supported.

Mr. Barwise-Carr added: “As we continue to grow, our focus remains simple: listen to our people, live our values and create positive experiences every day for our employees, customers and communities.”

Nate Harwood, founder of New Possible and the British HR Awards, said: “As the world changes at pace, organisations are increasingly having to learn, adapt and innovate. The British HR Awards celebrate the people, teams and leaders who make that possible. Congratulations to all the finalists.”

The stellar lineup of judges includes representatives from Barbour, The AA, TalkTalk and Shelter.

Yorkshire Garden Centres faces competition from Dishoom, Gressingham Foods, Kerry Dairy Ireland, Leeds City Council, SSP UK and Starbucks UK. The winners will be announced at a celebration event in Central London on 22 April.

The British HR Awards is powered by New Possible, a next-generation employee insight platform. New Possible helps leaders build healthier organisations by providing meaningful insight that can drive real change.

The Yorkshire Garden Centres (YGC) group comprises Tong, Tingley, Otley, Bingley and Pennine Garden Centres plus Dean’s York and Scarborough.