The teams at Bents (above) and Klondyke Mortonhall (below) have been celebrating their wins of the ultimate GCA accolades, Destination Garden Centre of the Year and Garden Centre of the Year.
“I’m so proud that Mortonhall won both the GCA Garden Centre of the year, and the Ruxley Rose for Best Plant Area of the year" said Matthew Bailey, Garden Centre Manager.
"It is fantastic to get Klondyke on the map in terms of all the hard work and commitment from my colleagues at the centre and the amazing support from Head Office too.
"As a team, we are certainly looking forward to the season ahead.”
At Bents, MD Matthew Bent told GTN Xtra: “There many awards available within our industry, but this really is the big one. It is not one that requires a written submission or entry fee; instead the audit is something that is a fundamental requirement of our membership of the GCA.
“We have a great family of colleagues who work extremely hard at all times and this award is a fantastic way to thank them for all their input, especially after what have been a challenging few years.”
Bents and Klondyke Mortonhall received a spot visit by the GCA auditors in spring 2022 and recorded two of the top scores in the country. The Centres then received a further spot check in the autumn to be re-audited, resulting in the UK’s highest results in their categories and presentation of the prestigious industry awards at the GCA Conference in January 2023.
At Bents, amongst the categories to be acknowledged by the audit were the Centre’s product range and quality, disabled facilities, sustainability, Garden Care department, Fresh Approach Restaurant, houseplants and seasonal plants. (See team pictures below.)
Tammy Woodhouse, Chairman of the GCA said: “The GCA audit and subsequent awards are extremely important within the industry. Centres don’t pay to enter or put themselves forward; our members are all visited by our inspectors with no prior knowledge of the exact date so we can ensure standards remain high at all times.
“We are delighted for Bents and Mortonhall. They are fantastic achievements and even more impressive when up against such strong competition.”
