BENTS garden centre has scooped a top tourism accolade at this year’s Visit Chester and Cheshire Awards.

The Glazebury business won the title of Cheshire’s best tourism retail business and was also shortlisted for the Taste of Cheshire award.

Judges commented that Bents was “consistently excellent in all areas especially the new open skies glasshouse and the excellent staff development and training scheme.”

The award is the latest in a string of awards won by the centre including Britain’s Best Garden Retailer from DIY Week’s Britain’s Best Retailer Awards, Warrington’s Business of the Year and Visitor’s Choice Awards and Best Retailer of Gifts at the Annual Greats Awards.

Bents managing director Matthew Bent added: “Awards are a fantastic way to recognise hard work and achievement, but they mustn’t mark the end. They almost provide a benchmark from where we must continue to improve and innovate.

“It is hard work, but as a team we love to take on challenges and seek out new and better ways of doing things – hopefully this time next year we will have added even more strings to our bow and will be making more exciting announcements.”

Bents is a family business, which was established more than 70 years ago by Alfred and Margaret Bent who started selling roses from their own front garden.

Now in its third generation, Bents employs nearly 300 colleagues and is visited by more than one million customers every year.