Publication Date: 11-07-2025 09:00
Coveted industry award won by Bellway West Midlands site managers at two developments in Worcestershire
The high quality of work delivered by Bellway West Midlands site managers in Worcestershire has been recognised with a pair of prestigious national awards.
The two site managers have secured Quality Awards in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition.
The successful duo are Chris Bennett, at Whitford Heights in Bromsgrove, and Paul Heath, at Harvino in Hunnington, seven miles away.
They were among only 450 winners selected from a pool of more than 8,000 site managers whose developments have been inspected by the NHBC over the past year, placing them among an elite group within the industry.
This is Chris’s third Quality Award in a row after winning one last year at Whitford Heights and one the previous year at Bellway’s Jubilee Green site in Coventry.
Chris started in the construction industry as an apprentice bricklayer after serving five years as a construction-based engineer with the Royal Engineers. He switched to a management role and joined Bellway as an assistant site manager in 2019, being promoted within the company to the position of site manager in 2021.
The 35-year, who lives in Kingswinford, said: “Thanks to my time in the Army, and roles as a bricklayer and a groundworker, I have a wealth of understanding of the build process from the initial infrastructure right through to completion and that gives me a solid foundation as a site manager.
“Building a good team and keeping them motivated and happy is key and I am able to do that here, with a lot of help from my assistant site manager Dave Talbot. There’s no disguising that to win such an award requires a lot of hard work, but I don’t mind that at all as I love this job.
“I like to run a clean and tidy site and I find that makes life easier in lot of respects and breeds greater efficiency on a day-to-day basis. My door is always open if anyone needs to talk things over or has an idea of how we might be able to improve things. We are all in it together and continually striving for excellence.”
Paul began his career in the building industry as a painter and decorator but opted for a career in management. He joined Bellway as an assistant site manager in 2016 and was promoted to site manager the following year.
The 38-year-old, who lives in Cofton Hackett, said: “This is the first Pride in the Job Quality Award that I have won and it feels good. It’s a team award really and is recognition of the very high standard of the work that we are producing on a daily basis at Harvino.
“I would like to thank my assistant site manager Jack Cunningham for all his help and support on a daily basis. The challenge now will be to try to maintain that quality and be consistent so we can win again next year.”
Chris and Paul will go forward to the next stage of the competition – the NHBC’s Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards, which will be announced this autumn.
The Pride in the Job awards involve a rigorous process including spot checks on the day-to-day running of a site. Each site manager is assessed across six key areas which are consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.
Nick Edmond, Construction Director for Bellway West Midlands, said: “As you can see from the number of sites that are judged nationally, winning this award is no mean feat. The NHBC Quality Award is recognition of a job very well done and is universally respected throughout the construction industry as a mark of distinction.
“At Bellway we are constantly striving for excellence and seeking to maintain the highest of standards. Utilising our internal communications platform Pathway, successful Bellway site managers have been sharing advice and best practice with their colleagues and this has resulted in an improved performance across the business.
“I would like to congratulate Chris and Paul and their excellent site teams for this achievement and wish them all the best in the next stage of the competition later this year.”
For more information about Bellway’s developments in the West Midlands, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/west-midlands.
