'Tis the season ........

...... when thoughts turn to sorting the garden out.

We're not the only ones who are thinking those thoughts.

Bents is celebrating 80 years. We've seen it grow massively. It is way beyond being a garden centre. The food hall is small supermarket size with a large butchers and bakers, there's a big craft centre, pet grooming store, furniture store, a massive restaurant, and more. The latest addition is "Jurassic Cove", a dinosaur park. In marketing speak, a leisure destination.

It started in 1937 when Alfred and Margaret started selling roses from the front of their terraced house. Then sons Ron and John and Ron's wife Wendy oversaw its evolution and development. And now Ron's children Matthew, Rachel, Helen and Katherine run the business. The Bents magazine proudly explains that with the next generation comprising 13 children it will be in safe hands. No pressure on them then