Publication Date: 10-07-2025 09:00
Seven Bellway site managers in East Midlands win coveted industry award
Bellway site managers across the East Midlands have been recognised for the quality of their work with a host of coveted national awards.
Seven site managers from the company’s East Midlands division, which is based in Leicester, 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 Gary Archer at Ashlands in Sutton-in-Ashfield, James Kilby at Holbrook Park in Chellaston, Dave Pringle at Abbey Fields Grange in Hucknall, Cory Upton at Coppice Heights in Ripley and Andy Clarke at Bellway at Hugglescote Grange in Hugglescote, as well as Keith Grayson at The Wickets in Desborough and Andrew Hayward at Cherry Meadow in Hatton, both being built by Ashberry Homes, which is part of Bellway.
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.
This is Dave Pringle’s ninth consecutive Quality Award and he has previously won five Seal of Excellence awards during his 30 years in the construction industry.
He said: “Even though I have won quite a few awards, the thrill of winning never goes away. I am delighted for both myself and the team here that we have won this award for the fourth year in a row at Abbey Fields Grange.
“We’ve got a great team here, where I am ably assisted by Nick Ellis, my very capable assistant site manager. To be honest, there’s no real secret to success – it’s down to a lot of hard work, good communication and not being afraid to apologise if you have got something wrong as no-one is right all the time.”
Cory Upton, who has won a Quality Award for the second year in a row at Coppice Heights, said: “This is brilliant news and real reward for all the efforts that me and my team have put in at this development and wouldn’t have been achievable without the help from my assistant site manager Finley Wilkinson.
“I started as a labourer 10 years ago with Bellway and have worked my way up to being a site manager and I love it. I have put a lot of hard work and long hours in but the senior management at Bellway have backed me all the way and they continue to support me as I continue to strive to reach and maintain the highest standards at Coppice Heights.”
James Kilby is no stranger to success after winning the prestigious Large Housebuilder Regional Award for the East region last year.
He said: “This continued success at Holbrook Park is very satisfying. To win a Quality Award, a Seal of Excellence and then the big one – the Regional Award – in 2024 was the icing on the cake of a really good year.
“It feels good to have won again because it means that we, as a team, are not resting on our laurels, we are going again and working as hard as we can, day after day, to make sure that Holbrook Park remains an award-winning site.”
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.
Lee Wilkinson, Construction Director for Bellway East 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 Andrew, Keith, Gary, James, Dave, Cory and Andy 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 developments in the East Midlands, see https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/east-midlands.
