GCA Awards The full list of GCA winners:
The Old Railway Line celebrate regaining the title they last won in 2018
The Old Railway Line and Barton Grange are GCA No 1’s
T
he GCA Awards for their members achievements in 2021 were announced in February during a virtual Presentation Day live stream event. Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA, said: “Following the understandable decision to cancel the January conference, we felt it was important to still share our experiences and celebrate our members’ achievements of 2021. New GCA Chairman Tam Woodhouse told GTN: “Although not the start to my term of office as chairman of GCA that I was hoping for, the virtual GCA awards day on Tuesday 15th February was a big success. It was brilliant to be able to celebrate the achievements of our members and get the insight from our GCA inspectors. We have received much positive feedback about the day with several commenting that although it was sad not to meet in person, the online format meant many more of their team members could watch the presentations than would usually be able to go to our annual conference. Following her visit to Barton Grange to handover their trophy Tam added, “It has also been great to visit Barton Grange this morning to present the team with their Destination Garden Centre of the year trophy. We started the morning with a big team celebration amongst the primroses. Everyone I talked to was rightly proud and passionate about the achievement of winning for the 9th time and also delighted to be awarded the
Ruxley Rose award for their plant area. What a great team and if the standards I saw today are anything to go by they are getting ready for award number 10!” Managing Director of Barton Grange Garden Centre, Guy Topping, said: “What an achievement? Winning Best Garden Centre and Best Plant Area in the UK is a dream! It’s a real honour to have been given these titles, especially with the challenges we’ve had to navigate over the year. The teams haven’t let the adaptations we’ve had to make due to the pandemic faze them and have continued to work exceptionally hard. They’ve done an unbelievable job in making the garden centre such a fantastic and safe place to be, I couldn’t be more proud.” Mark Cleary, founder of The Old Railway Line Garden Centre said, “We are thrilled to have been awarded as Best Garden Centre in the UK for 2021. Up against Garden Centres across the country, we were happy to have made it to the top 10. Then then be crowned top spot is a real honour, we’re all over the moon.”
• Christmas Competition (Garden Centre category) – Castle Gardens • Christmas Competition (Destination Garden Centre category) – Barton Grange • Environment and Community Award – Coolings Nurseries • Ruxley Rose (Garden Centre category) – Cowell’s • Ruxley Rose (Destination Garden Centre category) – Barton Grange • Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Creativity and Innovation – Barton Grange • Customer Service Award – Best Customer Service – The Old Railway Line • The Indoor Lifestyle Award – Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer (Garden Centre category) – RHS Harlow Carr • The Indoor Lifestyle Award – Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer (Destination Garden Centre category) – Barton Grange • The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer (Garden Centre category) – Klondyke Group – Garden Wise • The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer (Destination Garden Centre category) – Perrywood – Tiptree • Dick Allen Award (Most Improved Garden Centre) – Hillier – Eastbourne • The Outdoor Living Award – Best Outdoor Living Retailer (Garden Centre Category) – Klondyke Group – Stokesley • The Outdoor Living Award – Best Outdoor Living Retailer (Destination Garden Centre Category) – Fron Goch • GCA Grow Training Award – Blackbrooks Garden Centres of Excellence: • Barton Grange, Bents, Cowell’s, Fron Goch, Haskins Snowhill, Perrywood Tiptree, Planters Tamworth, St Peters, The Old Railway Line, Webbs of Wychbold. Associate of the Year: • Allensmore Nurseries The Worrall Cup: • St Peters Garden Centre
Barton Grange win the Destination Centre of the Year for the 9th time!
Garden Centre of the Year: • The Old Railway Line Garden Centre Destination Garden Centre of the Year: • Barton Grange Garden Centre.
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
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