A BIRCHWOOD worker has received a prestigious award after being selected from a pool of more than 8,000 people.

Gavin James won a Quality Award in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition.

His work at Bellway’s Park Gate Village development in Knutsford was recognised, and he is just one of 449 site managers from across the UK to receive the accolade.

And even more impressively, he was selected from a pool of more than 8,000 site managers whose sites have been inspected by the NHBC over the past year.

In the awards, each site manager is judged on a wide range of aspects of their work, including attention to detail, leadership, technical expertise, and health and safety.

Gavin said: “It is a great feeling to win this award.

“It is the award that I have been working towards since I started my career as a site manager three and a half years ago.

“To win an award we have to keep pushing for consistent high quality in all areas and across all elements of build and construction, maintaining high expectations and achieving more than the industry standard.

“A lot of consistent hard work over a long period of time goes into these awards, so they really are a huge achievement not only for myself but also the wider site team as a whole.”

As a winner, Gavin is automatically entered into the next stage of the competition – the NHBC’s Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards, which will be awarded later in the year.

Head of construction for Bellway Manchester, Thomas Chadwick, added: “Held in high regard nationally, the Pride in the Job Quality Awards are not easy to win.

“Judging is rigorous which is testament to the high quality of homes being built at Park Gate Village.

“ I would like to congratulate Gavin and every member of the fabulous site team for their achievement and wish them all the best for the next stage of the competition in the autumn.”