< Previous20 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk THE BRICKS AWARDS 2025 Winners revealed: The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 With the East Midlands Bricks Awards complete for another year, it is time to reflect on the glittering event and reveal the winners. Property and construction professionals from across the region gathered on Thursday 2nd October at the iconic Trent Bridge Cricket Ground for Business Link Magazine’s 10th annual East Midlands Bricks Awards. Recognising and celebrating those reshaping the landscape of our region, rewarding the very best companies, teams and individuals, the event offered the perfect opportunity to showcase the outstanding work carried out across the East Midlands over the past year and network with many of the region’s industry leaders over nibbles and complementary drinks sponsored by Wood Moore & Co. “We were delighted to support the Bricks Awards 2025 — a fantastic evening bringing together the very best in property and construction,” said Jamie Thorpe, director at Wood Moore & Co. “Congratulations to all the winners and finalists who continue to raise the bar for excellence across the industry.” Attendees heard from Councillor Nadine Peatfield – Leader of Derby City Council, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands – who kicked off the event with the keynote speech. Exploring Derby’s exciting path of regeneration, the changing role of city centres, and the importance of working with the city’s property and construction partners, Councillor Peatfield shone a spotlight on the Derby Market Hall development, Becketwell, the Castleward community, Nightingale Quarter, and future plans for a four star hotel, quality office space, regeneration around the train station, and a cultural and civic building to create the city’s living room. She spoke of creating a place rich in culture and opportunities where people want to live, work, and visit, concluding, “we truly are building a Derby to be proud of.” The first award of the evening was ‘Responsible Business of the Year’, sponsored by Wright Vigar. Honourable mentions for the category included Scope Construction and Morrison Design. The ultimate winner, however, was revealed as G F Tomlinson, with judges noting their exceptional results across corporate responsibility, community engagement, and supply chain leadership, displaying work that is strategic, measurable, and widely recognised. Kevin Shaw, Joint Managing Director at Wright Vigar, shared: “As a firm that supports businesses within this industry, we were proud to sponsor the Responsible Business of the Year award. It was fantastic to see G F Tomlinson recognised for the positive impact they’re making. The Bricks Awards are a brilliant way to celebrate the talent and dedication across our region, and we were pleased to be part of it.” He added: “It was an enjoyable evening with a great atmosphere and plenty of opportunities to connect with professionals from across the property and construction sector.” The ‘Deal of the Year’ award, sponsored by Frank Key, followed, for which the runners up were Vistry East Midlands (for their Top Wighay deal) and Lovell and Placefirst (for their built-to-rent deal at the next phase of Derby’s Castleward regeneration). Ultimately, St James Securities won the award for their Vaillant Live deal. Upon winning, Paul Morris, www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 21 THE BRICKS AWARDS 2025 Development Director at St James Securities, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win the Deal of the Year award for the new Vaillant Live performance venue at Becketwell in Derby. This £45.8m project has been a labour of love for everyone involved, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see it recognised with a regional award. This award reflects not only the hard work and dedication of our team, but also the outstanding collaboration between Derby City Council, the operators ASM Global, and our design and advisory partners - all of whom have played a vital role in bringing this vision to life.” Paul added: “We thoroughly enjoyed the awards event at Trent Bridge; it was great to celebrate regional success and connect with industry leaders, share ideas, and discuss future developments in the property and construction sector. I’d like to thank the organisers and sponsors for a memorable evening and for their continued support of the region’s property professionals.” Judges highlighted how the deal broke new ground for the procurement of a new performance venue. Ben Sansom, Group Sales & Marketing Director at Frank Key, shared: “We were proud to sponsor the Deal of the Year category at this year’s East Midlands Bricks Awards, which continues to shine a spotlight on the region’s most transformative property and construction achievements. Congratulations to St James Securities for their winning entry – the Vaillant Live deal – a landmark development that exemplifies bold vision, strategic collaboration, and a commitment to urban regeneration. It’s projects like these that help shape the future of our communities and inspire continued investment across the East Midlands.” The third award of the night was ‘Residential Development of the Year’, sponsored by Build Manager. Runners up were TUNE’s Prospect Place and Stagfield Group and Peveril Homes’ Abbey Central. The winner of the category, however, was StudioTwenty’s Riber Castle development. Craig Barnsdale, director at StudioTwenty, said: “We’re so proud that StudioTwenty has won Residential Development of the Year at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 for our work on the iconic Riber Castle in Matlock. Breathing new life into this historic landmark has been an incredible journey, and to see it recognised against such strong competition is truly special. A huge thank you to our amazing clients, collaborators, and to Ben Taylor from Build Manager for presenting us with this award!” Matthew Jones, co-founder at Build Manager, said: “Riber Castle stood out as our winner for Residential Development of the Year because it is such a unique and unexpected residential project. The bespoke workmanship and sensitivity to heritage make it a stunning achievement, a true labour of love that has transformed a historic landmark into exceptional modern homes.” He continued: “We really enjoyed being part of this year’s Bricks Awards. The event provided excellent local networking opportunities and a great platform to learn more about other notable projects and companies making an impact across the region. It was also a fantastic evening for our team to come together and celebrate the strength of the Responsible Business of the Year - Kevin Shaw, Wright Vigar, and Rob Sullivan, G F Tomlinson Contractor of the Year - Francisco Burgos, Winvic, and Sally Harrison, EMEC Ecology Deal of the Year - Angela Cooper, BLM Group, Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council, and Paul Morris, St James Securities Residential Development of the Year - Ben Taylor, Build Manager, Klaudia Dziak, StudioTwenty, and Craig Barnsdale, StudioTwenty 22 Á22 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk THE BRICKS AWARDS 2025 East Midlands construction community.” Next up was the ‘Commercial Development of the Year’ award, sponsored by Global HSE Group. Henry Brothers scooped the award for Canopy, Leicester, beating out stiff competition from St James Securities for Vaillant Live, Scope Construction for the Homefield College SEND Building, and G F Tomlinson for Sherwood Observatory. “We were delighted that Canopy, delivered for Leicester City Council, was picked out as a winner at the Bricks Awards,” said Clare Swaine, Business Development Manager at Henry Brothers. “There was some really tough competition in our category for Commercial Development of the Year, so we were over the moon that the judges recognised the importance of this project in refurbishing this cluster of heritage buildings into something quite transformative for this area of Leicester. Overall, it was a lovely, relaxed evening catching up with others from the industry and celebrating some great projects in the East Midlands.” Judges noted how the development has brought back to life the disused Pilot House building – transforming five separate but interconnected architecturally significant heritage buildings into 60,000 sq ft of high-quality office accommodation and a community hub – as well as how the scheme will create hundreds of new jobs and is already in high demand, with a number of lettings already made despite the building only completing in June, including attracting businesses from London and retaining a business due to depart the city. Andrew Cooper, Managing Director, Global HSE Group, said of the event: “It was a fantastic evening celebrating the achievements of the region’s property and construction sectors. As a sponsor, we were proud to support an event that brings together so many forward-thinking professionals. The networking opportunities were excellent, and we were particularly pleased to see such deserving winners recognised for their innovation and commitment to quality.” ‘Contractor of the Year’ sponsored by EMEC Ecology, followed. Runners up were Goodward Construction and Miller Knight. It was Winvic Construction, however, who took home the award, with judges highlighting the quality, breadth of projects delivered, and Winvic’s focus on both social value and health and safety. Francisco Burgos, Design Manager, Winvic, said: “It was a real pleasure to attend the East Midlands Bricks Awards and to represent Winvic Construction on the night. The event was really well organised — straight to the point, dynamic, and with a great atmosphere throughout. It was brilliant to meet people from such a wide range of business backgrounds within the same industry. Picking up the Contractor of the Year award on behalf of my colleagues was a proud moment and a great recognition of the effort and collaboration across our teams, consultants, and supply chain.” Sally Harrison, Client Relationship Lead at EMEC Ecology, added: “It was a real pleasure to present the Contractor of the Year award to Winvic Construction at the Bricks Awards 2025. The event was a fantastic celebration of the talent, innovation and collaboration that make our industry so special. It’s always inspiring to come together with so many professionals who share a passion for delivering exceptional places to live and work.” The next award was ‘Excellence in Design’, sponsored by Konsileo. The runners up for this award included APSS for Loughborough University DigiLabs Teaching Space, and St James Securities for Vaillant Live. It was G F Tomlinson, however, that stole the award, for Sutton on Sea Colonnade and Pleasure Gardens. Judges shared how the project is significant and meaningful for a coastal resort – one of a group of areas across the UK often overlooked in comparison to major cities – not only enhancing local amenities but attracting tourism, stimulating economic growth, and providing a welcoming space for people of all ages to enjoy. Nick Taylor-Ward ACII Chartered Insurance Broker, Konsileo Insurance, said: “We were proud to sponsor the Excellence in Design award at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025. At Konsileo, we work closely with many talented professionals across the construction industry, so supporting an event that celebrates innovation, quality, and great design feels like a perfect fit. The evening is also a wonderful opportunity to connect with a fantastic audience, catching up with long-standing clients and friends, and building new relationships within such a vibrant and forward-thinking community.” The ‘Most Active Agent’ category followed, sponsored by Knapton Wright. While OMEETO and Rigby & Co were honourable mentions, the award went to Salloway Property Consultants. The judges noted that while the finalists were all very deserving of the win for different reasons, Salloways stood out for their breadth of Most Active Agent - Alex Wright, Knapton Wright, William Speed, Salloway Property Consultants, and Hugo Beresford, Salloway Property Consultants Developer of the Year - Joe Anderson, Clowes Developments, Kevin Webster, Clowes Developments, and Iain Hibbert, Devello www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 23 THE BRICKS AWARDS 2025 activity and influence in the region, and support of the next wave of talent. William Speed MRICS, Surveyor, Salloway Property Consultants, said: “We were honoured to receive the Most Active Agent award at the East Midlands Bricks Awards. This recognition reflects our consistent dedication, professionalism, and commitment to delivering exceptional services to our clients. Thank you to Knapton Wright for selecting us as the winner from a tough group of nominees and to Business Link for putting on such an enjoyable evening.” Alex Wright, Managing Director, Knapton Wright, added: “We loved being at Trent Bridge to celebrate the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025, and the people who keep the East Midlands and its communities growing. As first-time sponsors of the Most Active Agent award, we wanted to champion the doers: those who connect ideas to delivery, budgets to impact, and stakeholders to shared outcomes. Congratulations again to Salloway Property Consultants on a well- deserved win. Property and construction is a sector we are genuinely passionate about as an agency. So, to be able to support an event dedicated to those working across the region to champion an approach to development and heritage projects that is progressive and considerate to the environment was a fantastic opportunity. To see firsthand how important and relevant these businesses view the placemaking agenda in relation to the positive development of our cities, towns, and villages was incredibly refreshing. The evening was full of candid conversations, fresh perspectives, and the kind of momentum you can tell will build something memorable in the region - our kind of room, and a fantastic example of why partnership matters when you’re shaping places worth caring about.” Next was the ‘Developer of the Year’ award, sponsored by Devello. St James Securities and Vistry East Midlands were named runners up for the category, which was ultimately won by Clowes Developments. Judges highlighted Clowes’ visionary master planning, commercial success, sustainable delivery, and community impact. Thomas Clowes, Managing Director at Clowes Developments, expressed his gratitude for the recognition: “We are delighted to win Developer of the Year once again. Our 2023 win was a significant milestone, and this latest recognition underscores the consistency, commitment, and vision of our entire team. We’re proud to play a leading role in shaping the property sector across the East Midlands and beyond.” Shruti Trivedi, Managing Director at Devello, said: “We were delighted to be sponsors for a second year for the East Midlands Bricks Awards and the event did not disappoint. It was great to be surrounded by so many businesses passionate about our region and each delivering essential services to the Sustainable Development of the Year - Paul Goodwin, G F Tomlinson, Geoff Fletton, G F Tomlinson, and Lee Marshall, Viridis Architects of the Year - Fahad Mohammad, Church Lukas, Alex Edmeades, Roy Geddes Bricks, and James Beardall, Church Lukas Commercial Development of the Year - Andrew Cooper, Global HSE Group, Ian Taylor, Henry Brothers, Matt Wallace, Leicester City Council, Will Eccles, MDA Consulting, Clare Swaine, Henry Brothers Excellence in Design - Les Needham, G F Tomlinson, Phil Laverick, G F Tomlinson, and Nick Taylor-Ward, Konsileo 24 Á24 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk THE BRICKS AWARDS 2025 construction and property industry. We were particularly delighted to sponsor the category of Developer of the Year, as development is at the core of Devello. We felt that Clowes Developments were the worthy winners of this category as we believe Developer of the Year should go beyond buildings and be awarded to a company which showed a progressive business ethos and commitment to the environment and the East Midlands community. The Bricks Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the best of the region in a relaxed and informal format which allows opportunity for meaningful conversations at the same time, and we look forward to returning as sponsors again next year.” The ‘Sustainable Development of the Year’ award, sponsored by Viridis, followed. Runners up for the category included PBBE Corby BV and PineBridge for Evo Corby, Stagfield Group and Peveril Homes for Abbey Central, and Coactivation for the Rykneld Homes North East Derbyshire retrofit. The winner of the award, however, was G F Tomlinson for Nottingham College Construction Skills Centre (CSC) and The Gateway. Judges shared that as well as very strong environmental awareness and great levels of energy efficiency, this scheme provides long term social benefits that support the balance of being sustainable across social, environmental and commercial factors. Lee Marshall, Managing Director at Viridis, said: “Viridis are proud to have been a sponsor and judge for the last five years. We value the East Midlands Bricks Awards immensely as it uses its editorial expertise to focus on the recognition and celebration of those behind the changing landscape of our region.” The penultimate award of the evening was the ‘Architects of the Year’ award, sponsored by Roy Geddes Bricks. Finalists for the category were Morrison Design and Pelham Architects, with the winner named as Church Lukas. Alex Edmeades, Area Sales Manager, Roy Geddes Bricks, explained: “Church Lukas completed a truly exceptional portfolio of projects over the last year – branching different sectors, from important residential work through to vital school projects. The thought and attention to detail in these projects they delivered were second to none, and have had a hugely positive impact on the local areas.” Fahad Mohammad, Associate at Church Lukas, said: “Being recognised as Architects of the Year is a real honour. The East Midlands Bricks Awards have been a fantastic platform to showcase the brilliant work our team has delivered over the past year.” Alex Edmeades added: “It was an absolute pleasure to sponsor the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025, for the second year in a row. This is one of the stand-out events of the year for our business now, one we are very proud to be a part of, and once again there was a fantastic range of people from across our industry to meet. From a networking point of view it was excellent and hugely valuable. You can go from talking to an architect, then to a contractor, to an agent, and then legal – it’s a wonderful selection of people all in the same field and having the same goals. The event shines a well- deserved spotlight on excellent projects and companies throughout the East Midlands. Congratulations to this year’s nominees and winners, and a big thank you to the event organisers... We’re already looking forward to next year!” The final award of the evening, sponsored by SEV, was ‘Overall Winner’, which was scooped by G F Tomlinson. Judges were particularly impressed by the company’s holistic approach to responsibility – from delivering millions in measurable social value, championing local employment, training and apprenticeships, and advancing diversity in construction, to achieving exemplary sustainability performance and community engagement. They added that the firm’s consistent commitment to people, planet, and high-quality project delivery makes G F Tomlinson an outstanding instance of a business leading by example across the region. Andy Sewards, chairman of G F Tomlinson, said: “We’re proud to be recognised at this year’s Bricks Awards, which celebrate the outstanding work happening across our industry. Winning Excellence in Design, Sustainable Development of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year and being named Overall Winner for our schemes, is a real honour and reflects the dedication of our teams and partners. Recognition for projects like Sutton on Sea Colonnade, Nottingham College CSC, The Gateway and Sherwood Observatory highlight our ongoing commitment to delivering high- quality, sustainable developments in a safe environment, and providing social and economic benefits to the communities we work in.” Gary Pearce, Managing Director, SEV, concluded: “It was a pleasure to be part of this year’s Bricks Awards and to see such a strong showcase of talent, innovation and commitment across the East Midlands property and construction community. The event offered excellent opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals and celebrate the region’s achievements. G F Tomlinson were a standout winner — their dedication to responsible business, sustainability and high-quality project delivery truly reflects the values that make our industry thrive.” The event closed with congratulations and a buzz of excitement amidst networking and celebration. Now that the Bricks is over for 2025, make sure to look out for information on the 2026 event. Overall Winner - Gary Pearce, SEV, Rob Sullivan, G F Tomlinson, Les Needham, G F Tomlinson, and Stephen Spiegelhalter, G F Tomlinson 0ŨNųŸJIſEUŦGVƇũSƎ SHRSOHŦGƈSOŦųILUVW *RŽKūH DVKXIƊ /ųŋVEXLOG VżųKŸJDPD]ŸJ WRJųŶU" Active Agency WINNER Congratulations R Contact us to construct truly memorable marketing. Read more about our involvement with Bricks 25 and start your project today.Design-Led Joinery For Commercial, Residential and Retail Spaces SEV manufactures bespoke joinery that balances design, quality and price for commercial, residential and retail spaces. Trusted by architects, designers and contractors. 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