Tong Garden Centre installs new play centre, creating 39 jobs, by Joe Wilkinson, GCR Magazine

The new indoor play area at Tong Garden Centre has created 39 new jobs for local people.

Praise for Corby and Fellas EPOS system
GTN Xtra Promotion

The Corby and Fellas EPOS system has received praise from Mark Winchester, Managing Director of Blackbrooks Garden Centres.

“After investing in a system by one of your competitors and having the unfortunate realisation that things were not working as smoothly as they should, I decided to look for a more efficient system and more reliable technical support,” Mark told Corby and Fellas.

“So, after a brief conversation with Alan McCammon and a subsequent presentation from Corby + Fellas, I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and install C&F across the group and I have to say even with the deadlines imposed on your team by myself, the installation process went without a hitch. In fact, I could not have hoped for a better nor smother installation process, so thank you for that.

“Your system has proven to be robust and intuitive enabling our operators to adapt and adopt almost immediately. It is also worth noting the relaxed attitude my till operatives now have due to the confidence they have in their abilities to navigate and rely on their till. This in turn has had a positive effect with the whole team and customers alike.

“I now look forward to making better use of the back-office functionality that your system provides which I have no doubt will trigger cost savings and efficiencies to my business.”

For more information visit www.corbyfellas.com

The Old Railway Line Garden Centre have a fun-packed summer in store for the kids this year! With weekly Wild Wednesday Workshops, Family Fun Zone, character meet & greets and Animal Encounters there’s something for everyone! Find out more about what’s going on here

Events

Jacob is one of our Support Engineers, he supports calls and distributes the support tickets that come in. He also works on site for installations.

Jacob has been with Corby + Fellas for 2.5 years.

He was previously with the Audi service department where he undertook Audi technician training which involved dismantling and rebuilding an engine.

Outside of work he is a big Norwich City fan and a season ticket holder.

http://www.diyweek.net/westland-picks-its-2019-rising-stars

Each year Westland and the Garden Centre Association (GCA) search for the most up-and-coming employees at garden centres who show great potential and would benefit from the opportunity to further their skills and experiences as part of the Rising Stars Program.

This year’s star have been announced and they have begun their mentorship with Westland to help them further their skills and expertise, with the first three stages of the programme now complete.

During the first stage of the programme, the 20 candidates met the Westland team for a briefing about Rising Stars and found out more about Westland and the insight the company can offer into the data behind the garden market.

As part of the programme, the Rising Stars have to devise and present a sales campaign based on one of Westland’s four key categories (indoors, lawn care, growing and wild bird care), and during the first round candidates had to select their project category.

During round two of the process, Westland showcased information about its marketing strategies within the sector, including point of sale materials, wider content and social media. They also received information about merchandising, driving sales, financial delivery and presentation skills to give them a rounded view of what it takes to bring a product to market. At this stage, the candidates outlined their projects and received initial feedback from the Westland team.

In the third round, each Rising Star gave their presentation, which was also recorded to help develop their presentation delivery skills for the future.

The next stage will see each of the participants speaking with Gordon Emslie from the Garden Centre Association, to receive feedback on their presentations and discover if they are through to the final stage.

Jo Wilkinson, head of communications and Insight at Westland, commented: “This year, to celebrate the 10th year of Rising Stars, we have changed the format. Instead of picking one person to win, we want to champion and support as many people as we can, which is why we will be selecting 10 of the Rising Stars to go through to the final stage to make their presentations at the GCA Conference in January. It’s been brilliant working with the candidates so far and to see how passionate they are to learn; we’re really looking forward to see how their presentations evolve.”

The Westland 2019 Rising Stars have been named as:

Dominic O’Donnell: Ruxley Manor

Gemma Stace:Bents

Arif Khan: Perrywood

Josh Gilbert: Bosworths

Rachel Atkinson-Young: Stewarts Broomhill

Nathan Heywood: Bents

Michael Knight: Haskins Ferndown

Sarah Jane Toop: Haskins West End

Paul Birch: Planters Bretby

Charlie Watts: Squires Twickenham

Stuart Sullivan: Squires Badshot Lea

Bronwen Dains: Thurrock

James Townsend: Garsons Esher

Ben Lodge: Notcutts

Emma Lamb: Barton Grange

Rachel Wilkes: Webbs Wychbold

Jack Appleton: Webbs Wychbold

Naomi Smith: Poundbury

Adam Wallbank: St Peters

William Biehler-Wallis: Baytree

Millbrook Garden Company’s Gravesend restaurant The Mill has been presented with the IFSE award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre in the South-East by the Garden Centre Association (GCA).

The prestigious award, presented during a special prize-giving evening last week, was given in recognition of the high standards achieved in the company’s 300-seat flagship restaurant, beating off competition from a range of other garden centres.

Opened in July 2018 by The Mayor of Gravesham, Councillor David Hurley, The Mill is housed in a bespoke building designed to maximise the views of the garden centre’s stunning plant area.

The Mill caters for a variety of tastes with daily offers of tantalising cold dishes such as salads and quiches from the Deli Bar, hot food favourites such as fish & chips and lasagne from the Kitchen Classics Bar, hot drinks made to order at the Barista Bar, plus a wide variety of desserts, such as banoffee pie, chocolate tiffin and lemon meringue. There are also a selection of mouth-watering cakes on offer, the perfect accompaniment for a pot of tea and a catch-up with friends. On Sundays, The Mill welcomes customers to its traditional carvery with a choice of two meats or a vegetarian option with all the trimmings – no booking required. The restaurant also caters for special dietary requirements.

With free parking, easy access for both wheelchairs and pushchairs, a children’s menu and highchairs for younger customers, plus an outside seating area where dogs are welcome, The Mill offers something for everyone.

Tammy Woodhouse, Managing Director of Millbrook Garden Centre, says:

“We are delighted to have received this award for Catering Excellence. Our team has worked tirelessly over the last year to ensure that our customers can expect not just delicious food in a stunning environment, but excellent service as well.”

The Millbrook Garden Company is an independent family-run business consisting of three Millbrook Garden Centres in Crowborough, East Sussex and Gravesend and Staplehurst in Kent. The Mill is one of three restaurants under the Millbrook Garden Centre umbrella – there are smaller Greencafés at its Crowborough and Staplehurst centres.

Haskins Garden Centres announce the return of bloomin’ popular Rose Festival

Polhill garden centre was surprised by an unexpected visit from the potential new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson

https://www.hayesgardenworld.co.uk

All our BBQ courses have sold out really quickly this year and the only one left with places is the ‘Certified by Weber’ on Sat 14^th & Sun 15^th December so book early to ensure you don’t miss out. Following on from our hugely successful ‘Taste of America’ BBQ class with Richard Holden we are launching NEW for 2020: ‘Taste of Asia’, ‘Taste of Italy’ and ‘Taste of Home’.

The Barbecue Shop at Hayes Garden World has recently started stocking the famous Kamodo Joe BBQ; crafted to the highest standards for a world class performance. It perfectly complements our Weber, Traeger and Grillstream ranges; and to complete your BBQ experience we stock a huge range of rubs and sauces.