Sunshine Garden Centre and Burston Rose & Garden Centre were declared Best Garden Centre (GC) and Best Destination Garden Centre (DGC) respectively as the Garden Centre Association (GCA) unveiled its area award winners for the North Thames region.
Burston also took the titles of Best Customer Service and Best Environment and Community.

Other North Thames results are as follows:

Best Creativity and Innovation: Squires Garden Centre - Twickenham
Most Improved: Hilltop Garden Centre
Best Restaurant: Thurrock Garden Centre (GC) and Frosts at Woburn Sands (DGC)
Garden Products Retailer: Squires Garden Centre - Shepperton (GC) and Poplars Nursery Garden Centre (DGC)
Best Indoor Lifestyle: Squires Garden Centre - Shepperton (GC) and The Burford Garden Company (DGC)
Best Outdoor Living: Sunshine Garden Centre (GC) and The Van Hage Garden Company - Great Amwell (DGC)

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.

The top-scoring centres nationally 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 next January.

The remaining awards meetings are taking place this week.