COLIN Squire, chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, received an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

He has been given the award in recognition of his services to the horticulture industry and to charity.

Squires was founded by Colin’s father D J Squire 81 years ago as a nursery and landscape business.

Colin, also 81, formally joined the family business in the late 1950s.

Over the last 60 years he has helped propel the small family company to one of the best known independent groups of garden centres in the country, with 15 centres across four counties.

Mr Squire said: “I was so surprised and delighted to learn of this award.”

Squires has centres in Crawley and Washington, near Worthing.