Property Care Association Presents Awards for Building Preservation

The PCA Awards were presented at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, and were open exclusively to members of the Association – the trade body representing the UK’s structural waterproofing, wood preservation, damp-proofing, flood remediation and structural maintenance sectors.

An independent panel consisting of Peter Darling, a freelance technical journalist; Ian Davis, Operations Director of the National House-Building Council; and Paul Handy, a member of the property specialists’ interest group committee at the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjustors, judged the entries.

The PCA’s traditional accolades for Technician of the Year, sponsored by Stallard Kane Associates, as well as Student of the Year awards for both the Certificated Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing qualification (CSSW) and Remedial Treatment (CSRT), both sponsored by Yell.com, the UK’s local search engine, were also incorporated into the presentation ceremony.

Winners of the Innovation award, again sponsored by Yell.com, were Guardian Preservation Services, who also scored a win in the CSRT Student of the Year category, awarded to Guardian employee, Tim Herbert.

Carl Houghton of Hillbans Vectis won the CSSW Student of the Year and Tim Smith of Timberwise won Technician of the Year. Commendations were awarded to Wise Property Care in the Innovation Category and to Anglia Property Preservation in the Training category. 

Operating across the UK, the PCA is the trade body for contractors and surveyors specialising in structural waterproofing, wood preservation, damp-proofing, flood remediation and structural repair.

The PCA Awards reward the cream of UK businesses working in the building preservation and protection sector.

Yasmin Chopin, executive director of the PCA, said: “This was the first year that we have run these awards and we are delighted with the response we have had. The judges were impressed with the high standard of entries across the categories and with the willingness of PCA members to innovate and develop technical expertise within their own businesses and the building preservation industry as a whole.”

The award’s were presented as part of the PCA Annual Conference, where climate change, the environment and inspirational leadership were all on the agenda.

Also at the conference, David Lambert, the managing director of Safeguard Europe was presented with a leather-bound newspaper from his date of birth given in recognition of the contribution he has made to the PCA and the BWPDA over many years.

Entrepreneur and former Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year, Dawn Gibbins MBE, was the keynote speaker at the event.

Other speakers included Kate Mansfield, an environmental expert and Associate with PRP Architects, Suzannah Nichol of the NSCC and Gervais Sawyer, an academic in the timber industry, as well Paul Shepherd of Wykamol Group and Dr Eric Rirsch of Safeguard Europe.

Towergate Risk Solutions sponsored the programme of speakers and GPI the refreshments.