Shropshire site staff named best in country for quality

Ashley Bennett (30) and Kirk Raine (53) have each won a Pride in the Job Quality Award from the National House Building Council (NHBC), an award known as the ‘Oscars’ of the housebuilding industry.

Ashley then went on to also win a Seal of Excellence award, whilst Kirk claimed top spot with a coveted Regional award to take him to the next stage of the competition.

In total, site managers working for David Wilson Homes’ parent company, Barratt Redrow Plc, have won 115 Pride in the Job awards this year alone – more than any other housebuilder.

This is the 21^st year in a row that Barratt Redrow has won the most Pride in the Job awards, underlining just how important building high quality sustainable homes has been to the developer over the past two decades.

Ashley Bennett, who oversees The Damsons in Market Drayton, is from Kingswinford and has worked for Barratt Homes for seven-and-a-half years.

Now a Senior Site Manager, this is the second award he has won since he previously worked as an assistant site manager under Kirk. Ashley has taken everything he has learnt from Kirk and remains determined to be the best of the best, striving for the highest quality standards, all the way from the early build stage to customer satisfaction.

When discussing his Pride in the Job Quality Award and Seal of Excellence, Ashley said: “I’m incredibly proud to have won this award again, but it’s been a real team effort. While I’m leading the site, we couldn’t achieve this without the commitment and skill of everyone involved. We all work together with a shared focus on quality and making sure everything runs smoothly.

“We’re lucky to have such highly sought-after tradespeople, which says a lot about the standards we maintain. It’s not just about building high-quality houses, it’s also about supporting our customers and ensuring they have the best possible journey from start to finish.”

Kirk Raine, originally from Stone in Staffordshire, has been working for David Wilson Homes Mercia for a total of 13 years and oversees construction at Clockmakers in Whitchurch. He is such a beloved figure in the company that the now-sold-out Raine Place development in Telford was named after him, to honour his success in previous years.

This is his 14^th Pride in the Job Quality Award, and he has also previously won nine Seals of Excellence, now seven Regional Awards and three Supreme Awards during his career.

Kirk said: “It’s great to work with the customers and the contractors and, working in line with the building programme. The best part is building high-quality homes for our customers and receiving 100% customer satisfaction.

“I would like to thank the team at the Clockmakers for all of the hard work that they have put in, and for helping me to achieve this award.”

The awards recognise the top 5% of site managers across the country, with around 8,200 sites being entered into the awards annually, and only 450 winners. Each is judged on a strict criteria including technical expertise, health and safety, leadership and attention to detail.

Helen Lewis, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said: “We’re so proud of Ashley and Kirk for achieving their prestigious Pride in the Job Awards. It’s amazing news for both teams at their developments and for our customers.

“These awards showcase what it takes to be a top site manager and demonstrate our long-term commitment to looking after our customers. Anyone who buys a home at a development with a Pride in the Job award-winner knows their home has been built to the highest standard. We are very proud to have won more of these awards than any other homebuilder for 21 years in a row now.”