Our Westland Horticulture-sponsored Rising Stars finalists
Five individuals from member garden centres have been revealed as finalists in our Rising Stars programme sponsored by Westland Horticulture (December 2025).
Put forward by their garden centres, the staff completed a series of workshops in 2025 and will now present at our 60th anniversary year Annual Conference in January.
Our finalists
Gordon Emslie, who mentored the workshops for us, said: “Congratulations to our outstanding finalists: Aaron Caffarelli from Thetford Garden Centre, Louise Lockwood from Planters Tamworth, Charlotte Sait from Haskins Ferndown, Jess Salter from British Garden Centres (BGC) – Gloucester and Lewis O’Neill also from BGC – Gloucester. I’m excited to see them showcase their talents at the GCA Conference in January. Every year, our finalists set the bar high, and this year is no exception.
“This initiative simply wouldn’t be possible without the fantastic partnership between the GCA and Westlands. My sincere thanks to both organisations for their enthusiasm, commitment, and unwavering support in helping develop talent across our sector.”
Dragons’ Den
All the candidates undertook projects, within their garden centres, which ran from March to September. They then presented them to a Dragons’ Den style panel of judges including Gina Lewis, Head of Content at Westland Horticulture at Bell Plantation Garden Centre in October, who scored them and the final five were the top scoring projects.
Gordon added: “This season’s Rising Stars have once again demonstrated the exceptional calibre of talent within the garden centre industry. Their commitment, enthusiasm, and tenacity in delivering sustainability and environmental projects has been outstanding. Every one of them should feel immensely proud of their journey through this year’s programme and of how confidently they presented at the Dragons’ Den.
Impressive
“Each finalist tackled important issues around sustainability and the environment – topics that too often go overlooked – and approached their projects with impressive breadth and creativity.
“They faced challenges throughout the year, as the programme is designed to uncover strengths and weaknesses, yet their determination to see their projects through never wavered. Personally, I’ve found working with this year’s candidates a wonderful experience, and I am proud to have served as a mentor once again.”
Present at Conference
The finalists will present their projects at our 2026 Conference at Carden Park Chester on the Monday of the event, January 26 and share with the audience how the Rising Stars programme has helped them develop during the past 10 months.
A final winner will be voted for by conference delegates and crowned at the event.
Supporting the next generation
Gina Lewis, Head of Content at Westland Horticulture, said: “Garden centres – and the incredible teams behind them – are vital to the success and future growth of the UK gardening industry. At Westland, we are passionate about supporting the next generation of industry leaders, and we’re proud to have continued sponsoring and supporting this year’s Rising Stars throughout their 12-month journey to the GCA Conference.
Enormous potential
“The presentations they’ve prepared, with Gordon’s expert guidance, are thought-provoking, insightful and innovative, showcasing the enormous potential within this talented group. Each Rising Star has delivered real value to their garden centre through their projects, keeping sustainability at the heart of everything they’ve achieved. We wish them the very best as they move into the next stage of the competition and hope they continue to make a lasting impact on our industry as their careers progress.”
Get Conference tickets
Tickets for the GCA’s 2026 Annual Conference are now on sale via the members’ section on our website or can be purchased here.