The winner of a £1,000 prize from a Shrewsbury specialist plants centre says it could not have come at a better time.
Neil MacWilliam, 64, and his wife Sasha moved to a four bedroomed home at Hadnall, near Shrewsbury in May and are now planning the layout of the large garden.
A qualified horticulturist, who ran garden centres across the UK for more than 40 years until his retirement, Neil said he couldn’t believe his luck when he received a telephone call from Love Plants in Shrewsbury to say that he had won £1,000 worth of plants.
Everyone who registered as a Friend of Love Plants by the end of September, was entered into the prize draw, which was organised to promote the specialist plant centre’s new website https://www.love-plants.co.uk/ .
Nearly 1,000 new loyalty customers registered and Neil was selected from 8,500 Friends of Love Plants.
After collecting his prize voucher from Love Plants this week, a delighted Neil said: “Having recently moved to the area, I was looking for a place that was recognised for good quality plants and I was really attracted to Love Plants.
“I could tell that they were genuine plants people which was very important to me. As a horticulturist, I only buy plants from good people and it’s absolutely brilliant that I have won the prize.
“I already know what I want to do with my garden and I have lots of plants that I want to get. I am also planning to treat my daughter who has recently moved house. The added bonus is that I have a year to spend the money, which will allow me to buy seasonal plants.”
Neil, who qualified at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley, Surrey, was introduced to gardening by his grandad and grew up idolising Shropshire’s famous horticulturist Percy Thrower, whom he once met at RHS Wisley.
Tim Robinson, manager of Love Plants, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Neil won the prize and it could not have gone to a nicer person, somebody from the profession who certainly knows his plants.
“We were delighted with the huge response to the competition and our new website is already generating a lot of extra business. In fact, we have been much busier than usual since the competition and website were launched.”
Love Plants, which celebrates its 10th birthday next spring, is based at caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure’s headquarter alongside Shrewsbury bypass at Emstrey.
New customers can register as a Friend of Love Plants via www.love-plants.co.uk/loyalty-scheme or during a visit to the popular centre. Becoming a ‘Friend’ entitles customers to loyalty points which can be used as a monetary discount and they are also notified of offers, promotions and the latest news from Love Plants.
