Boyd Douglas-Davies (below left), CEO of the Hillview garden centre group, was formally elected as vice-president of the HTA .

HTA members ratified Boyd’s nomination at their breakfast-time AGM, held at the NEC. Three new members of the HTA board were also elected – Matthew Bents (Bents Garden and Home, above right)), Brian Fraser (Oakover Nurseries) and Richard Pyrah (AMES UK, above centre).

The HTA’s finance director, Alex Vick, reported an accounts surplus of £458,000 for 2017, a positive recovery from the £1m deficits of recent years. Reserves now stand at £922,000, with strategies in place to increase them further.

In response to a question from Neil Gow of Fresh@Burcot garden centre, HTA president Adam Taylor said the HTA board was monitoring the “turmoil in retail”  and in the event that the HTA’s finances were hit by further losses of income from National Garden Gift Vouchers, the association’s main source of income, would be considering how to handle it.