The BALI National Landscape Awards took place last week at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. The Great Ball Room was filled with over 700 industry professionals to celebrate and pay tribute to landscapers and garden designers who have demonstrated exceptionally high standards of professionalism and skill. Star of Rogue Traders Matt Allwright hosted the event and entertained the crowd with some witty observations.
The day began with the traditional drinks reception, a great opportunity for guests to catch up and reflect on 2009.
The chairman of the adjudication panel addressed the audience during lunch to explain the importance of the BALI awards and the selection process. A collection was made on behalf of the GreenFingers Charity and Grace School in Sudan after a moving speech by BALI Chairman Richard Gardiner, £3812.79 was collected – and will be split between the two charities.
CEO of BALI Sandra Loton-Jones took the opportunity to address the guests, thanking them for their support throughout the year. She congratulated all the award entrants and winners, for the outstanding achievement that has surpassed expectations year on year.
The most exciting and anticipated moment of the BALI awards is the announcement of the Grand Award winner. Every Landscape scheme announced as a winner has the chance to become Grand Award winner. The Grand Award went to Water Gems (ALBA) Ltd, who are an Edinburgh based landscape contractors who specialise in water features, they won for a Private Garden in Edinburgh. The firm carry out both domestic and commercial work throughout the Scottish region. The scheme was entered into the Domestic Garden Construction Cost Between £100,000 and £250,000 category.
Nick Benge Manager of Water Gems told The Landscaper ‘We are delighted and honoured to have received these awards from BALI. We had a wonderful day at the ceremony which we will never forget. The garden was an exceptional project with a unique client who contributed to the design hugely and the result was a beautiful garden. We would like to thank the judges for choosing this scheme and also BALI for organising the awards.”’.
The Principal Winners were:
Grand Award Winner
Water Gems (Alba)
Domestic Garden Scheme: Construction Cost Less Than £20,000
Sponsored by Johnsons of Whixley
Principal Winner: Olivebay Ltd
Winners: Northumbrian Landscaping
Hambrook Landscapes
Domestic Garden Scheme: Construction Cost Between £20,000 and £50,000
Sponsored by Natural Paving
Principal Winner: Garden Builders
Winners: Garden Builders
James Bird Landscapes
Domestic Garden Scheme: Construction Cost Between £50,000 and £100,000
Sponsored by Stonemarket
Principal Winner: Hillier Landscapes
Winners: J&S Scapes
Linden Landscapes
Domestic Garden Scheme: Construction Cost Between £100,000 and £250,000
Sponsored by: Ilex
Principal Winner: Water Gems (Alba)
Winners: Bowles & Wyer
Harlequin Landscapes
Hillier Landscapes
Gavin Jones Ltd
J & S Scapes
Domestic Garden Scheme: Construction Cost Over £250,000
Sponsored by: Artificial Lawn Company
Principal Winner: Thompson Landscapes
Winners: Bowles & Wyer
Bowles & Wyer
Outdoor Options
Domestic Garden Scheme: Maintenance Only
Sponsored by: BALI Insure
Principal Winner: Hambrook Landscapes
Winners: Transform Landscapes
Soft landscaping: Under 1hectare
Sponsored by: Garden Expo
Principal Winner: Frosts Landscape Construction
Winners: Frosts Landscape Construction
Kings Landscapes
Coblands Landscapes
Goddards Landscape Contractors
Soft Landscaping: Over 1 hectare
Sponsored by: British Sugar Topsoil
Principal Winner: Veolia Environmental Services
Winners: UPM Tilhill
Goddards Landscape Contractors
Mayfield Construction Ltd
Hard Landscaping: Under £300,000
Sponsored by: Marshalls
Principal Winners: Blakedown Landscapes (SE)
Hard Landscaping: Between £300,000 and £1.5m
Sponsored by:GLEE
Principal Winners: Blakedown Landscapes (SE)
Winners: Blakedown Landscapes (Operations)
English Landscapes
FM Conway
Mayfield Construction
Hard Landscaping: Over £1.5m
Sponsored by: Strata Stone
Principal Winners: McKean & Company (Glasgow)
Winners: English Landscapes
English Landscapes
Hellens Landscapes
FM Conway
Thompson Landscapes
Land Renewal and Regeneration Scheme
Sponsored by: Sureset
Principal Winner: CR Swift Landscaping
Winners:
Blakedown Landscapes (Operations)
English Landscapes
Blakedown Landscapes (SE)
Frosts Landscapes Construction Co Ltd
Visible Changes
International Award
Sponsored by: The Landscaper
Principal Winners: Beijing Tsinghua Urban Planning & Design Institute
Winner: CA Frazier Group
Landscape Design Excellence Award
Sponsored by: Society of Garden Designers
Principal Winner: Andy Sturgeon
Winners:
Christine Parsons
Patricia Fox
Arabella Lennox Boyd
Best Use of Lighting Award
Sponsored by: Ten Alps Publishing
Principal Winner: Thompson Landscapes
Winner:
English Landscapes
Grounds Maintenance: Single Sites
Kindly Sponsored by: Anders Plus
Principal Winner: Enterprise plc
Winners:
Enterprise Plc
Enterprise Plc
Veolia Environmental Services
Wyevale Grounds Maintenance
Grounds Maintenance: Multiple Sites
Sponsored by: BIGGA
Principal Winner: Reliance Landscapes
Winners:
Mitie Landscapes
Grounds Maintenance of Business & Private Grounds
Sponsored by: Ransomes Jacobsen
Principal Winner: Reliance Landscapes
Winners:
Gavin Jones
Nurture Landscapes Ltd
Interior Landscaping Installation
Sponsored by: Clarke & Spears
Principal Winner: OCS Horticulture
Winners:
Gavin Jones
Planters Horticulture
Interior Landscaping: Maintenance
Sponsored by: Planteria Magazine
Principal Winner: Planters Horticulture
PHS Greenleaf
Rainwater Harvesting
Sponsored by: Watermatic Ltd
Frosts Landscape Construction
Best Newcomer
Sponsored by: Yell.com
Harlequin Landscapes
Community Involvement
Kindly Sponsored by: Bellenden Public Affairs
Visible Changes
Special Award: Recycled Materials
Sponsored by: British Recycled Materials
CR Swift Landscaping
Employer of the Year Award
Sponsored by: OnSite Training UK
Principal Winner: Grace Landscapes
The Geoffrey Chalk Travel Sponsorship
Rebecca Cowley
The BALI Recognition Award
Sponsored by: NPTC
Antoine Berger — president European Landscape Contractors Association
WorldSkills UK Landscape Gardening Competition
Sponsored by: Lantra Awards
Intermediate Winner: Jack Carnell & Johannes Paach from Capel Manor College
Advanced Winners: Joint Winners: James Cuffey & Michael Clarke – CAFRE, Northern Ireland and Petrus Jacobs & Colin Smith, Oatridge College, Edinburgh.
The sponsors of the BALI National Landscape Awards are as follows: ANDERS PLUS, ARTIFICIAL LAWN COMPANY, BELLENDEN PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BIGGA, BRITISH RECYCLED PRODUCTS, BRITISH SUGAR TOPSOIL, CLARKE & SPEARS, CROWDERS NURSERIES, GARDEN EXPO, GLEE, ILEX, JLT, JOHNSONS OF WHIXLEY, LANTRA AWARDS, MARSHALLS, NATURAL PAVING PRODUCTS, NPTC, ON SITE UK, PLANTERIA, RANSOMES JACOBSEN, SGD, STONEMARKET, STRATA STONE, SURESET, TEN ALPS PUBLISHING LTD, THE LANDSCAPER, VAN DEN BERK, WATERMATIC, YELL.COM.