Garden & Leisure Group operations director Carol Paris has become only the seventh woman in 80 years to be awarded the Charles Pearson Memorial Medal by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
Awarded annually since 1930 in memory of the HTA's first president, the medal has only been awarded to six women before Ms Paris and is given in recognition of her contribution to the industry.

As well as her work with Garden & Leisure Group, Ms Paris is vice president of the HTA and sits on the board. She also sits on the board of the Horticultural Development Company and on the HTA's training and careers committee and retail management group.

HTA president Caroline Owen said of the award: "Carol provides a huge and selfless contribution to our industry. She is a fabulous example of someone who puts a huge amount back into the industry, not just focusing on their own business ambitions, and I believe she is an inspiration for the rest of us.

"The Medal is awarded annually to someone who has made a contribution to the industry way above and beyond the ordinary, and I can think of no finer winner."