The winners of the prestigious British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Awards 2019 have been revealed at an evening of celebration held at the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, London.
The BWF Awards celebrate outstanding projects and individuals in UK woodworking, recognising technical innovation, design, process efficiencies, health & safety and the rising stars of the industry.
The six categories and winners were:
Woodworking Project of the Year (sponsored by Centor®):
Gowercroft Joinery for the design manufacture and installation of over 300 timber external and internal joinery items at Templeton House, a Grade II listed property in Roehampton. The timber joinery was part of a £32m restoration of the Grade II listed mansion which included sympathetic replacement of the original sliding sash windows, to provide modern levels of performance at no detriment to the historic value of the building.
Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Remmers):
Bailey Donkin, apprentice at Middlesbrough-based ERW Joinery, has picked up Apprentice of the Year Award for his creativity, innovative approach and outstanding joinery. According to Bailey’s company:
“In the four years that Bailey has been with ERW, we have seen him grow to become not only an outstanding joiner but an integral part of our team. His ideas and innovativeness set him apart from not just other apprentices, but many other time-served joiners.”
Product Design in Wood Award (sponsored by Teknos):
Tom Pearson & Sons for a unique replacement entrance door solution that incorporated the original stained glass. The company designed a vented system that incorporated a clear toughened double-glazed unit. The stained glass was then suspended in front and beaded into place, with a vented bottom bead and further venting to the top bead to prevent moisture build up. The steel bar that the stained glass panels were originally tied to was challenging to incorporate, but the company managed to retain the aesthetics that the client desired at no detriment to the overall performance of the door.
Health & Safety Hero Award (sponsored by CITB):
GE Door Manufacturing for its health & safety first culture to drive continuous improvement across their factory, with clear measurement of colleague engagement and adoption. GE Door Manufacturing has introduced a number of health and safety initiatives over the years. More recently, to monitor progress, the company introduced an innovative scoring outcome system and a near miss reporting system. The company also revisited all personal and machine-related risk assessments to ensure they still met the needs of users.
Process Efficiency Award (sponsored by W20 Exhibition & the FIT Show):
West Port Timber Windows & Doors for its fire door manufacturing project which focused upon customer value by reducing waste. By reducing waste throughout its fire door manufacturing processes West Port Timber Windows & Doors were able to significantly improve efficiency across several key areas. A faster turn-around time to meet customer demand was key to this project.
Rising Star Award (Sponsored by the Timber Trade Federation):
Carol Bruce, HR Manager at Allan Brothers, was named as the BWF Rising Star of 2019 for her support of colleagues and guidance across the business which has been pivotal to the company’s recent transformation programme. According to Carol’s company,
“Her support of colleagues and guidance across the business has been pivotal to the success of a recent change transformation project.”
Helen Hewitt, Chief Executive of the BWF, said:
“Congratulations to this year’s winners who all epitomise the talent, creativity and professionalism of our wider industry. The standard of entries this year was truly exceptional, and the judges had no easy task separating them.
“The BWF Awards shine a light on the innovative companies and individuals that push the boundaries of woodworking and joinery, as well as recognising the stars and leaders of tomorrow. Our sector makes a significant contribution to the UK’s construction and manufacturing industries, and it’s fantastic to come together at the BWF Awards to champion the outstanding talent and achievement that make our industry so successful.”
For more information about the BWF Awards 2019 please visit: www.bwf.org.uk/awards2019