Rising star Ella-May from Bosworth's Garden Centre in Burton Latimer wins national award for inspiring children

Ella-May from Bosworth’s Garden Centre in Burton Latimer has scooped a national award for inspiring children.

The garden centre in Finedon Road is delighted to announce that their rising star, Ella-May, has been awarded the prestigious Garden Centre Association’s (CGA) Rising Star award for her project, 'Inspiring the Next Generation'.

The award was presented at the GCA's annual conference, where Ella-May's project was selected as the winner out of seven finalists.

Garden centres across the country took part in the Rising Stars programme.

The GCA programme invites garden centre managers or owners to nominate a member of their staff whom they believe to be a rising star in the industry.

Applications are shortlisted to just 25 semi-finalists across the UK, who then visit other garden centres and facilities, gaining inspiration for their project idea, themed around the environment and sustainability.

Ella-May's project, 'Inspiring the Next Generation', involved inviting children to buy sunflower seeds with free cups and peat-free compost, creating a fun and educational experience for them.

The children were then encouraged to post pictures of their sunflowers' growth progress on the Bosworth's social media page, with weekly prizes for the best entries, such as hedgehog houses, fairy gardens and more.

Following her successful project, Ella-May was shortlisted as one of seven finalists, selected by her peers in recognition of her work.

At the national conference, Ella-May presented her project to 300 attendees, who voted her as the overall winner.

Ella-May said: "The programme was an amazing experience, and I am so happy and excited that I was able to win and bring my project idea to life, inspiring children in my garden centre.

"I can't wait to do more of this work."

Moving forward, Ella-May hopes to make 'Inspiring the Next Generation' a yearly event within the garden centre, running the competition each summer.

She is also keen to set up gardening clubs for children and do school visits, aiming to inspire as many children as she can reach.

Sam and Tania Bosworth, the garden centre owners, are thrilled with Ella-May's success, saying: "We are incredibly proud of Ella-May's achievements and her dedication to inspiring children through her project.

"She is a rising star in our industry, and we are excited to see what she will achieve in the future."