Publication Date: 10-07-2025 09:00
Four Bellway Thames Gateway site managers win coveted building industry awards
Bellway Thames Gateway site managers across Kent have been recognised for the quality of their work with a clutch of coveted national awards.
Four site managers from the Bellway division, which is based in Dartford, have secured Quality Awards in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition.
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.
The winners were Craig Penny at Highlands Grange in Swanley, Vixit Ray at Harbour Village in Northfleet, Matt Speak at Crossways Quarter in Dartford and Gary Nott at Ebbsfleet Cross in Swanscombe.
Matt said: “This is the second year in a row that I have won an NHBC Quality Award for my work at Crossways Quarter and it feels good. I am project lead and my name is on the award but it’s one for the whole team which includes the site manager Joe Olsen, and assistant site managers Elvis Tham and Ryan Dadson.
“The judging is incredibly rigorous so to win one is great but to win another the next year at the same site indicates that we are maintaining consistency by achieving very high standards. I have been at Crossways Quarter since the start and have created a culture of excellence here where only the best is good enough.”
This is Gary’s seventh Quality Award and he said: “This is just as thrilling as winning my first. The standards are getting higher and higher within the industry, which is a good thing, but it means you really have to be on the ball every minute of every day.
“Part of the key to my success is sheer hard work and an unrelenting commitment to getting things right the first time around. Teamwork makes the dream work and I am lucky that everyone is on the same page and is dedicated to do the best job we can.”
Vixit said: “At Bellway, the company ethos is to always put the customer first and this is our guiding principle when we build houses. The properties we deliver are not just houses, they are people’s homes, and we must keep that at the forefront of our minds at all times.”
Craig said: “When I heard that I had won this NHBC award I was delighted. My team and I have put a lot of hard work into the site at Highlands Grange and this is validation that we are doing the job right.”
All the winners 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.
John Haggerstone, Construction Director for Bellway Thames Gateway, 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 Craig, Vixit, Matt and Gary and their excellent site teams for this achievement and wish them all the best in the next stage of the competition later this year.”
To find out more about Bellway Thames Gateway developments in Kent, Essex and London, see https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/thames-gateway