Charlotte Richards, a new-generation grower

Charlotte Richards has been appointed a director of her family’s horticultural business – Golden Acres – which her father Paul started in 1980.

Charlotte (19) is currently working her way through every department of the business to gain experience.

The company is a large specialist grower of bedding plants – three million plants each year – and also owns five garden centres in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Warwickshire.

Charlotte said: “I’m learning the business from the bottom up and thoroughly enjoying the experience.

“I love plants especially bedding, which are so varied and colourful. That’s entirely what we focus on in our growing nurseries in Hampshire and Dorset. Then we sell the plants through our own centres and also supply to other garden centres around the south.”