Former Labourer Wins Fourth Site Management Award For Work on new Homes in Leighton Buzzard

A construction site manager who joined the industry as a 16-year-old labourer has won his fourth building award.

Sean Pitkin has been given a Pride in the Job Quality Award from the National House Building Council (NHBC) in recognition of his excellent work at Bellway’s Lestone Mews development in Leighton Buzzard.

The 34-year-old has been site manager at the development since its launch in May 2019 and in February 2022 was promoted to contracts manager, overseeing five Bellway Northern Home Counties sites.

This is the second year in a row that Sean has won a Quality Award for his work at Lestone Mews, where work is due to be completed in August. He previously won two Quality Awards for his work as a site manager at Bellway’s Estone Grange in Aston Clinton, near Aylesbury.

The national awards recognise those who achieve the highest standards in construction, with only 443 out of 8,000 site managers across the country being selected to receive the prize this year. The winners will now be considered for the Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards in the autumn.

Sean, who joined Bellway in 2016, said: “It is brilliant to get this recognition for all the hard work I have put in at Lestone Mews but it is really an award for the whole team not just me. The secret to success is to have a great set of colleagues in place who buy into what you are trying to achieve.

“My philosophy is that I treat all of the homes on my site as if they were my own house. I want those new houses to be perfect so that I can stand there proudly as the keys are handed over to each and every customer of ours.”

Sean started his career in the construction industry as a teenage labourer.

“I was given a job as a labourer by a local builder in Olney and went into it straight from school, not really knowing what I wanted to do,” he said. “I was offered an apprenticeship and then became a qualified carpenter.

“A few years down the line, my bosses offered me the chance to become an assistant site manager and I haven’t really looked back.

“I have now been promoted to contracts manager which means I am overseeing five sites, including Lestone Mews, where my former assistant manager James Ratcliffe has been made site manager. Bellway is the best company to work for and my ambition is to carry on hitting the highest of standards.

“The target now is to maybe see all five site managers at the developments I am overseeing win Quality Awards. That would be really something.”

Iain Hunter, Construction Director at Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “For our site managers, winning an NHBC award in any year is rewarding, but this year has been a special achievement in such challenging circumstances, ensuring our building sites are kept to the highest standards we set ourselves at Bellway, and keeping our customers and residents happy with the work we are doing across those sites.

“Sean has consistently demonstrated his excellence in delivering new homes to our customers over the past 12 months and Bellway is extremely proud of and grateful for his efforts, resulting in the Quality Award he has been deservingly given by the NHBC. We would like to wish Sean all the very best for the next stage of the NHBC awards this year, as he progresses to the Seal of Excellence phase of judging.”

There is currently only one home remaining for sale at Lestone Mews - the Radcliffe showhome priced at £510,000.

For more information on the final homes available at Lestone Mews, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/lestone-mews or call the sales office on 01525 351317.