The winners of the first-ever National Pest Awards 2021 were announced at a ceremony in the House of Commons on 9 September. Almost all winners were BPCA member companies.
During a fantastic black-tie evening, attendees were treated to a set by comedian Justin Moorhouse, following which the nine winners were announced by industry stalwarts like Tom Holmes and BPCA's Ian Andrew.
There was a wonderful atmosphere on a night which, for most of the attendees, was the first time industry colleagues had seen each other since before the start of the pandemic in 2020.
The winners
There were lots of BPCA members among the winners. Take a look below.
The award winners were:
- Unsung Hero of the Year: Richard Packer, Rentokil Pest Control (BPCA member)
- Young Pest Controller of the Year: Gabrielle Hogg, Pest Solutions (BPCA member)
- Pest Controller of the Year: Kevin Pugh, Pest Solutions (BPCA member)
- Local Authority of the Year: Luton Borough Council
- Sole Trader of the Year: Matthew Freeman, Hawthorn Pest Control (BPCA member)
- Small Company of the Year: Dealey Environmental (BPCA member)
- Large Company of the Year: Graham Pest Control (BPCA member)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Adrian Meyer
- Pest Business of the Year: Graham Pest Control (BPCA member).
About the National Pest Awards
Formerly the British Pest Management Awards, the NPAs are run by Pest magazine and are aimed at recognising and rewarding the best in the industry.
Run in association with BPCA, NPTA and Basis Prompt, the judging panel was headed by Simon Lewis, group managing director of Lewis Business Media, the publisher of Pest magazine.
The rest of the panel consisted of Ian Andrew, chief executive of the BPCA; Steve Hallam, chief operating officer of the NPTA; Stephen Jacob, chief executive of BASIS; and Simon King, editor of Pest magazine.
The awards were sponsored by Syngenta, Barrettine, Bayer, Bell Laboratories, Edialux Professional Products, Killgerm, Lodi UK, Bábolna Bio, BASF, Bird Free and Contego.