North East and North West regional members of the Garden Centre Association picked up awards yesterday at a presentation evening at Bents Garden & Home, Glazebury.

In the North East Cowell’s Garden Centre (above) was named Best Garden Centre and Langlands Garden Centre Shiptonthorpe (below) picked up Best Destination Garden Centre.





Burleydam Garden Centre (above) scooped Best Garden Centre and Barton Grange (below) received Best Destination Garden Centre in the North West.

Iain Wylie, chief executive of the GCA, said: “We have had a week packed full of regional awards meetings and the North East/North West presentation evening was a great way to top it all off.

 “Our hosts, Bents Garden & Home, really pulled out all of the stops for us so I’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the team there. I’d also like to say congratulations to everyone who took home awards, they should feel extremely proud to know their hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Other honours announced on the night includes the Best Customer Service award, which went to Armitage’s Birchencliffe Garden Centre in the North East and Barton Grange in the North West.

The award for Most Improved centre went to Langlands Shiptonthorpe in the North East and Klondyke Daleside in the North West.

Iain added: “I hope the week of meetings has been inspirational and motivational for everyone and I am looking forward to the final awards meeting, which takes place later in the year on September 23 at Glendoick Gardens Ltd Nursery & Gardens in Glencarse, Perth for the Scotland and Ireland regions.”

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 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 in January 2016.

The full results for the North East and North West regions GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

North East

Best Garden Centre: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC)

Best Customer Service: Armitage’s Birchencliffe Garden Centre

Best Environment and Community: Langlands Garden Centre – Leeds

Best Creativity and Innovation: Cowell’s Garden Centre

Most Improved: Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe

Best Restaurant: Klondyke Group – Beverley (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Garden Products Retailer: Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Indoor Lifestyle: Harlow Carr Plant Centre and Gift Shop (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Outdoor Living: Klondyke Group – North Allerton (GC) and Armitage’s Pennine Garden Centre (DGC)

North West

Best Garden Centre: Burleydam Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Customer Service: Barton Grange Garden Centre

Best Environment and Community: Gordale Garden Centre

Best Creativity and Innovation: Barton Grange Garden Centre

Most Improved: Klondyke Group – Daleside

Best Restaurant: Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC) and Bents Garden & Home (DGC)

Garden Products Retailer: Burleydam Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Indoor Lifestyle: Fairways Garden Centre – Macclesfield (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

Best Outdoor Living: Burleydam Garden Centre (GC) and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC)

The GCA represents nearly 200 garden centres nationwide.