The Garden Centre Association

This December, I’ll be donning my Santa suit and setting off on a festive walk around Chichester – all to raise funds for GREENFINGERS CHARITY! 🎅 Greenfingers does incredible work, creating gardens and green spaces for children’s hospices across the UK. These offer seriously ill children and their families a chance to connect with nature, relax, and make special memories together 💚 By sponsoring my walk, you’ll be helping Greenfingers bring even more gardens to life, transforming hospice grounds into vibrant spaces that can be enjoyed year-round 🤗 Please join me in supporting this amazing cause. Every donation, big or small, will make a difference🌲 Boyd Douglas-Davies Linda Petrons MCIOF Neil Sewell Horticultural Trades Association GIMA (Garden Industry Manufacturers' Association) The Garden Centre Association

We’ll have fundraising activities for our chosen charities at our 2025 annual conference on the Sunday. The day includes a London Retail Safari, which has been organised by Ben Harrison from Haskins Garden Centres Ltd and is being led by Matthew Brown from Echo Chamber. Following a tour, the party will meet back at Battersea Power Station for drinks and nibbles. As always profits from this event will be shared with our three main charities – GREENFINGERS CHARITY, The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation and Perennial - Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society. #GCAConf2025 

Remember this from #GCAConf2024? Like to get involved in next year’s event? We’ve sponsorship slots available, so if any companies are interested, please get in touch with us and our CEO Peter Burks can give you a call or drop you an email to discuss it with you. peter@gca.org.uk #GCAConf2025 

⏰ Two weeks to go until the 2024 GIMA Awards – NOW SOLD OUT! 🕺 GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall, commented: “Excitement is building as we approach this year’s awards. From a fantastic host to a winner’s line-up that’s set to impress, there’s so much to celebrate on the evening of the 7th November. As always, a huge thank you to everyone attending and to our sponsors for their generosity. We can’t wait to see you all very soon!” This year, we’re grateful for the backing of headline sponsor Glee Birmingham Show, alongside Gardenex, the The Garden Centre Association, Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association, eBay, Horticultural Trades Association, Blue Diamond Garden Centres, Smart Garden Products Ltd, Primeur Ltd, Durston Garden Products Ltd, Hozelock (UK), FLOWERGROW LTD, Capi Europe, GARDENA UK, Barrus Ltd, Decco Ltd, @RocketGro, MorePeople, CM Ventures Marketing Services Ltd., Hornby George PR, and media partners Gardenforum.co.uk, Garden Trade News, HortWeek, Garden Centre Retail Magazine, and Garden Radio 😍 Thank you 💚 If you haven't managed to secure your ticket to our Awards Gala Dinner, please contact a member of the team to be added on to our reserve list if any cancellations occur. 😁 We're so excited! Who do you think will scoop the top prizes this year? For more information please visit https://lnkd.in/et5Kbx8K

And just like that the pitch is done! 🎉 The past few months of the #launchsuccesschallenge have been building up to this moment where we’ve pitched our marketing campaign and begonia brand identity to a panel of experts from the #horticulture industry. 🌱 We gave it our best and we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved as the #greenteam on this journey. 💚 Regardless of the results from the panel we’re so happy with what we pitched and really grateful for the kind feedback from everyone. 🙏🏻 It’s been a wonderful educational experience and one I’m sure none of us will forget. Wish us luck and cross your fingers for the results! 🤞🏻 Cheers to a successful pitch guys, thank you for doing this with me ❤️ Clou McEvoy Ella Miles Will Pateman Olivia Blackburn Peter Moore, Beekenkamp Plants B.V., Westland Horticulture Ltd, Pöppelmann TEKU®, BOA- British Ornamentals Association, Floramedia UK, The Garden Centre Association,YPHA As well as the following collaborators: Michael Perry, Liz Dowling, The Garden Centre Association, BBC Gardeners' World Events, Happy Plants Ltd, Glee Birmingham Show, Jane Lawler, Boyd Douglas-Davies

Members and associate members are invited to sign up for a FREE WEBINAR on retail security on Weds, Nov 13, 3-4.30pm. We’ll hear from Mark Gilbert from Tates of Sussex Garden Centre, Nathan Wilson from Blue Diamond Garden Centres and Corin Dennison from Insight Retail Risk Consultancy Ltd. www.gca.org.uk/42430-2/

It’s that time of the week again…fanfare please…our #associateoftheweek is the wonderful Design, Print & Digital Creative Marketing Agency, CM Ventures Marketing Services Ltd., who are always there for our member #gardencentres. www.cm-ventures.co.uk

It’s Common Ground Apple Day today, Oct 21 – an annual celebration of all apple-ing things and, also, designed to raise awareness of British varieties and traditional orchards. It’s the perfect time of year to plant fruit trees as the soil is still warm! https://lnkd.in/dfpQkfEN #appleday #loveautumn

The time has arrived! #GreenTeam have arrived at St Peters Garden Centre in Worcester to prepare our #Begonia pitches with the expert help of Boyd Douglas-Davies in the yurt. Tomorrow we'll be presenting our exciting proposal to the YPHA #LaunchSuccess panel. Enormous thanks to our headline sponsor Peter Moore and sponsors: British Association of Landscape Industries, Beekenkamp Plants B.V., Westland Horticulture Ltd, Floramedia UK, Pöppelmann TEKU®, BOA- British Ornamentals Association, The Garden Centre Association. And to our amazing mentor/collaborators: Michael Perry, BBC Gardeners' World Events, Happy Plants Ltd, Glee Birmingham Show, Jane Lawler, Boyd Douglas-Davies, Liz Dowling.

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