The Garden Centre Association is urging members to get nominations in for its new-style 2026 Rising Stars Academy – designed to help develop the industry’s most talented individuals – by February 28.

The revised Westland Horticulture-sponsored Academy offers those participants the chance to be mentored by experts from the horticultural industry, have training masterclasses and to visit some industry locations and events.

GCA Inspector and Rising Stars mentor, Gordon Emslie says: “Rising Stars is evolving to respond to the challenges our industry is now facing. Taking place across six days, the Rising Stars Academy will now combine visits to industry locations and events with training masterclasses on valuable skills, helping garden centres to build the skill set of their teams

“An eligible candidate, in a garden centre’s opinion, should be a rising star or have the potential to be one within your garden centre and hold a position below management level. They need to be available to attend several events throughout the year.”

Applications, which are available through the Members’ Area of the GCA website here: www.gca.org.uk. They should be completed and submitted by February 28, 2026.

Gina Lewis, Head of Content at Westland Horticulture, says: “We’re very proud once again to partner with the GCA to support the next generation of industry talent. This year’s new-look academy gives participants hands-on experiences, alongside targeted training in marketing, communication, merchandising and much more.”

After all the nominations are received, they will be reviewed, and successful candidates will be invited to join the academy for 2026, with the first session on March 11 at Westland in Peterborough.

The opening day sets the foundation for the Rising Stars journey. Delegates will receive an introduction to the Rising Stars Academy and the Westland product offering, followed by a session led by industry expert Gordon Emslie on ‘What does good look like in a garden centre?’ The afternoon will feature a dedicated Communications & Marketing Masterclass delivered by Westland, designed to strengthen participants’ customer engagement and promotional skills.

Peter Burks, GCA Chief Executive, says: “The Rising Stars Academy continues to evolve to meet the challenges facing our industry today. By changing up and combining real‑world site visits with high‑value masterclasses, we’re equipping garden centre teams with the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.

“Rising Stars 2026 is designed to build confidence, capability and creativity. Each training day offers actionable, practical learning that delegates can take straight back to their garden centres – making an immediate impact on team development and business performance.

“By bringing together tours of leading industry locations including our GCA Garden Centre of the Year, GLEE and Ball Colegrave with expert-led masterclasses, Rising Stars offers an unrivalled development opportunity for ambitious team members in our sector.

“Our goal is simple: to elevate emerging talent and help garden centres future‑proof their teams. The insights gathered during the programme will culminate in a presentation delivered by some volunteers from this years’ group at our 2027 GCA Conference.

“If garden centres think they have a team member who is a ‘rising star’ within their organisation, they need to put them forward today, so no one misses out on this tremendous opportunity.”

The GCA represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide.

Through sharing information and its inspection programme, the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk.