an interview with…
Broadening horizons
Sue Allen, founder of Millbrook Garden Centres, has recently joined Greenfingers Charity’s board of trustees. She speaks with GCU on her life and times within the garden industry
aving established the first Millbrook Garden Centre in Crowborough, East Sussex, in 1979, alongside her late husband, Dick, Sue Allen is a well-known figure within the garden retail sector. Since then, Millbrook has grown to incorporate three centres in the South East of England and is now run by the extended family including daughter Tammy, her husband Ben and sister Kirsty, with Sue holding the role of chairman. In addition, Allen also sits on the board of trustees for the Garden Centre Association and is chairman of the GCA Trust. Her new role with Greenfingers is a return to the organisation aſter several years, and a charity that is very close to her heart. Allen takes up the story:
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“I have been heavily involved in garden centre associations for some time now,” explains Allen. “I first became aware of Greenfingers quite early on in its existence; at the time I was chair of the GCA.
“I also went onto the management board of Greenfingers; we were living hand to mouth at first. We didn’t know month-to-month whether we would be able to pay our bills, and we relied on people within garden centres and nurseries – we never knew where the next little chunk of money was going to come from. “Originally the gardens were designed to be areas of quiet contemplation, but now they are real stimulating areas for the children. Many of the children are in wheelchairs, and so some gardens have been designed with wheelchair racetracks, and fun water features. Now some have expanded to accommodate teenage children’s interests – with a canopy where they can even go and have a cigarette! “The Greenfingers Charity has been fantastic in highlighting the benefits of the outdoors and gardening to one’s mental and physical health. Although these children won’t get better, it’s a major boost to their quality of life. “Greenfingers’ first garden was opened for Demelza House Children’s Hospice, in Sittingbourne, Kent, in 2001, and to date we have created 58 inspiring hospice gardens around the country and have a further waiting list of hospices that need our help.”
A 40-year journey For Allen, the journey through the garden retail industry first began with Millbrook Garden Co, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019. As self-confessed gardening ‘novices’ when
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starting out, Allen and her husband Dick bravely entered the industry with nothing but a drive to succeed and a hint of entrepreneurial flair. “It all started with my husband and I – we
didn’t know anything about plants back in 1979,” Allen notes. “Dick was a bit of an entrepreneur and a salesman. We thought it would be a good idea to have a garden centre, despite not knowing anything about them! It started as two of us from three leaky greenhouses, and we nearly went bust in the first year. At the time we had a five year old daughter, and a nine month old daughter – it was a stressful time. “Fast forward to 1988 and we opened our first
garden centre, Crowborough in East Sussex. In 1994, we built a new centre in Gravesend, on a field by the A2 just outside Gravesend.” Sadly, in 1997 Dick died, leaving Allen to run the business. With her daughters now in their early twenties, eldest daughter Tammy (who vowed never to work for the family business) came back for a year to help out. She got the bug and decided to forgo her career in geology in favour of Millbrook. More recently, in 2009, Tammy took over from Sue as managing director and in 2013 Millbrook acquired its third centre in Staplehurst. Today, the board of directors is still very much family based, with Allen remaining as chair. With this vibrant journey in the world of garden retail, Allen is keen to stress how the industry has evolved over the years, with a more professional, ‘business like’ profession, rather than the amateur trade the industry was 40 years ago. However, the camaraderie experienced between like-minded industry figures has cemented lifelong relationships, and friendships in many cases.
GCU December/January 2020
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