Alyson Haywood has been revealed as the Garden Centre Association's (GCA) new inspector.
Her most recent role was as head of horticultural quality control for Wyevale Garden Centres, before which she was managing director of Moreton Park Garden Centre in Shropshire.

GCA chief executive Iain Wylie commented: "I am delighted Alyson has accepted the appointment and that she'll be working with the GCA again. She has spent all of her working life in the industry and a significant number of those years working at senior level in garden centres.

"She has a very impressive CV and is an experienced and passionate horticulturalist with a breadth of experience in retail, marketing, business development and turnaround, and is now a business improvement and development consultant and horticultural specialist."

Ms Haywood started her garden centre career at the Grosvenor Garden Centre in 1987, and shortly afterwards moved to the newly-opened Notcutts Garden Centre in Solihull in 1988 as horticultural advisor/garden designer.

She then went to Wyevale Garden Centres as horticultural manager at Northampton, and subsequently spent five years as a part-time lecturer in horticulture at Rodbaston College Staffordshire and Telford College of Arts.

She returned to Wyevale Garden Centres with a move to Telford and went on to hold the roles of regional manager, training, development and recruitment manager, and general operations manager with the chain.

Ms Haywood has also worked with Woodlands Nurseries, Bridgemere Garden World and The Garden Centre Group.