Bedfordshire site managers win leading industry awards
Two site managers building new homes for Bellway have been awarded a prestigious industry award for their work at developments in Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard.
Bellway’s Dave Mitchell and Sean Pitkin have both won a coveted Quality Award in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) 2021 Pride in the Job awards programme.
Dave, who has been site manager at the Brambleside development in Houghton Regis since December 2019, has now won his first NHBC award, while this is Sean’s third honour from the NHBC, currently working at Bellway’s Lestone Mews development in Leighton Buzzard.
The winners of the 2021 Quality Awards were announced on Friday 18 June, following a year-long judging process by NHBC officials.
Now in its 41st year, Pride in the Job remains one of the most highly regarded competitions in the industry, recognising site managers who demonstrate best practice and excellence on-site to build homes of the highest quality.
Dave said: “I am absolutely over the moon to win my first NHBC award. I have worked for Bellway for over seven years now and am so pleased to finally get the award. It means a lot to win and it feels extra special given it’s come during a pandemic, when we have faced a lot more challenges than normal.
“This is my first big development with Bellway, as I’ve previously worked on sites with half the units, so this has been a personal challenge for me, and I feel really proud that I’ve been able to do it and won the award for this site.
“I’ve got a really great team and I couldn’t have done it without them. The assistant site managers here, Josh Simpson and Richard Moore, have been amazing – it has been a real team effort. It’s a pleasure to work with them and I look forward to coming into work every day.
“Everyone on site works really well together. We all have the same goals and a team mentality which is really important. I can’t wait to keep building on bigger sites and pushing for more awards, including the Seal of Excellence.”
Sean said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to win this award; we had been waiting for the phone call all morning and literally jumped in the air when we found out we’d won.
“This is my third Quality Award win, but it’s really a team effort. I sent everyone on site an individual personal message to say thank you and well done for all their hard work. Everyone has put a huge amount of effort in.
“The awards are something everyone buys into, believes in and puts into practice. It’s not something just staged for an inspection; the hard work starts from July and its great to know we have been consistent throughout the whole building process.
“This site has been challenging for me personally, so it means a lot to have won here. I am quite a self-critical person and always want to do a really good job, so it’s nice to get this recognition from the NHBC.
“I’ve worked for Bellway for five years and we have faced a lot more challenges than usual this year due to the pandemic. There was a lot of uncertainty, and it hasn’t been easy, but to be told we’ve done a good job is extremely satisfying.”
Dave and Sean will now progress to the next stage of the competition, which will see the winners of the Seal of Excellence and overall Regional Award announced.
Dean Takkou, Head of Construction for Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “To be recognised by the NHBC is the biggest accolade you could achieve as a site manager, so we are all very proud of Dave, Sean and their teams on receiving a Quality Award in 2021.
“In a year which has tested everybody in so many ways throughout the construction industry and beyond, Bellway’s commitment to building the highest standard of home remains paramount to our success.
“The dedication of all our site managers and their teams is a vital part of Bellway retaining its five-star status with the Home Builders Federation (HBF) for the last five years in succession. Their commitment to delivering homes on time while maintaining the highest level of customer service is a key reason why nine out of 10 Bellway buyers would recommend us as a developer of choice.
“We congratulate Dave and Sean, and wish them the very best of luck for the Seal of Excellence stage of the awards later this year.”
For more information on homes being built by Bellway, visit bellway.co.uk.
