Colin Squire, chairman of Squires Garden Centres, was presented with the Pearson Memorial Medal at the HTA Garden Futures dinner at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire.

The medal has been awarded annually by the HTA since 1930 in memory of the HTA's first general secretary, Charles Pearson, and aims to recognise outstanding contributions to horticulture.

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris said Colin’s boundless enthusiasm, forward thinking and high business standards were ”an example to us all.”

Colin is celebrating his 60th year with the company founded by his father, D.J. Squire. He is a fellow of the Institute of Horticulture, a member of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners and founding member of the Garden Centre Association. His interest in garden design, developed in his early career, continues and he still designs the Squire’s exhibit at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

He has often been at the forefront of new developments in the UK. In the 1950’s, when plants were grown in open fields and couldn’t be lifted until autumn, Colin introduced container-grown plants at Squire’s. During the 1970’s, the Twickenham site was one of the very first garden centres in the UK to introduce a coffee shop.