Westland Rising Stars 2014 Programme receives record number of entries

The Westland Rising Stars 2014 Programme has received a record number of entries from garden centre staff looking to get ahead in the world of horticultural retailing.

The programme, run by Westland Horticulture and the Garden Centre Association (GCA) is now in its sixth year and has been hugely successful to date, welcomed by the industry and participants alike.

This year a total of 28 people will take part and ultimately one will achieve the title of Rising Star of 2014.

There will be three Masterclasses held throughout the year in which participants will be given extensive coaching and mentoring in different aspects of retail merchandising. After the first two Masterclasses, the most successful participants will be taken through to the next round.

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director for Westland Horticulture said: ?Each year the Rising Stars Programme gets more and more successful and the standard achieved higher and higher. This demonstrates that horticultural retailing is a strong career choice, which is fantastic for the industry as a whole. We are proud to be once again supporting this initiative.

?I would like to wish all of the 2014 candidates the best of luck. I?m certain, regardless of whether they go on to win or not, they will get a lot of benefit from the experience.?

Iain Wylie, Chief Executive of the GCA said: ?We are all really excited about this year?s programme. In a twist for 2014, the five most successful applicants from the year will attend the GCA Conference in Chester in January, where they will make a presentation on what they have achieved over the year.

?A winner will then be chosen by conference delegates before being presented with his or her prize at the GCA?s annual gala dinner on Tuesday 27 January 2015.?