The Pearson Memorial Medal is awarded by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) for outstanding service to the garden industry every year, since it was instigated in 1930 in memory of the HTA’s first General Secretary, Charles Pearson. The 2023 medal was awarded to Stan Green, with previous recipients in recent years including Jim Buttress, Mark Gregory and Adam Wigglesworth.
Mike Burks is Managing Director of the Gardens Group, a former Garden Centre Association chairman, and a passionate advocate of eco-friendly gardening practices. Along with his wife, Burks has spent the past three decades running three garden centres, three restaurants and a farm shop in Dorset and Somerset. Impressively, the business is run to have as little an environmental impact as possible, whilst actively supporting the local community in which they trade. Not only has the group installed solar panels, biomass boilers, air source heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, LED bulbs etc. across their garden centres, but their procurement process is guided by their strict sustainable and environmental sourcing policy.
At a GIMA conference earlier this year, Burks explained that the buying team follow a strict hierarchy to source products, from own production being the first point of call to local, regional, and then finally internationally sourced products from selected business partners – social enterprise suppliers, companies that promote sustainable activities and/or trade in fair-trade. For all their products, and especially for Christmas procurement, the company follows strict rules; no single use plastic, no plastic/polystyrene packaging, limited packaging for delivery and products that for the long term. Importantly, the company has managed to make this more sustainable form of doing business a commercial success. According to Burke, in 2023 where the average sales increase for Christmas products was approximately 5%, The Garden Group managed to achieve 16% – along with substantial growth over the years.
Community and wildlife protection is at the heart of The Gardens Group, where Burke and knowledgeable team host and organise regular events to support local charities and initiatives while encouraging more people to embrace gardening.
Will Armitage, HTA President, said: “Mike’s contribution to the industry is incredible; not only is he part of The Gardens Group, which operates three garden centres in the Southwest that are some of the best examples of horticultural retail in the country, we believe, along with the support of his wife Louise, he has won the GCA Christmas merchandising prize more than any other retailer. He continues to be an articulate spokesperson for industry issues, and his involvement in the ongoing conversation around the future of peat serves as a key example. He has the ability to consider and communicate both sides of the debate thoughtfully. Mike’s tenacity and drive have proved invaluable to the industry. During the Covid pandemic, Mike worked alongside and with the HTA in a relentless drive to reopen garden centres, arguably saving the industry.”
Mike Burks, said: “This is slightly overwhelming really. We’ve done lots of work with great people towards a common cause, and in so many ways, we’ve managed to come together, ensuring the HTA and GCA are aligned on all these projects. None of this would have been possible without the support of my team at the Gardens Group, and particularly my wife Louise, who allowed me to get away this afternoon to be here.”