Paddy Malone is the toast of homebuilder Mactaggart & Mickel after winning the top UK accolade in the building trade - the NHBC Supreme Award in the Medium Build Category.
Paddy, from Ayrshire, who achieved the NHBC Best Site in Scotland (Medium Category) in November 2001 for the company's outstanding Castle Square development in Greenan, was automatically nominated with 21 other regional award winners from across the UK for the much coveted NHBC Supreme Award - and when Paddy Malone was announced as the sole winner in this category, it proved to be the high of the Site Manager's 26 year career with the company.
Paddy, 43, said: " To win an award like this you need all the support of a dedicated team behind you, as well as a company that is prepared to give you a freehand in organising the site you are working on - at Mactaggart & Mickel I had both.
" There is a huge difference between being nominated for an award of this scale and actually winning. Although I knew we were in with a very good chance - we were up against some pretty stiff competition. However, nothing prepares you for that moment when your name is announced as the winner - I honestly felt like I had just won the European Cup."
At an award ceremony held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London, Paddy was presented with a striking glass pyramid trophy and a cheque from NHBC Chairman Sir Michael Pickard and television presenter Juliet Morris.
The NHBC awards, the housing industry's Oscars, serve to highlight individuals who consistently demonstrate the highest levels of expertise and outstanding commitment to their work.
An intensive process that involves a year-long judging procedure of 50 categories, every aspect that goes in to constructing a development - from all the materials used to build a property to the exterior finish and landscaping of the site - is inspected. Nominees are up against a total of 17,000 UK Site Managers. This is then narrowed down to 30 'Pride in the Job' Quality award winners, 10 Seal of Excellence winners and one winner in the Small, Medium and Large Best Site categories in Scotland.
Awards are something Paddy takes in his stride, having also secured an NHBC 'Pride in the Job' Quality Award three years in a row, ensuring that the company's Ayrshire developments enjoy the limelight.
He first won a 'Pride in the Job' Quality award in 1999 in recognition for his work at Mactaggart & Mickel's impressive Barassie Links development in Troon. A year later he achieved this at Montfode Estate in Ardrossan - when he also secured a Seal of Excellence award for the site.
Bruce Mickel, Managing Director at Mactaggart & Mickel, said: "The NHBC Supreme award represents a significant landmark in the history of Mactaggart & Mickel and is a fantastic personal achievement for Paddy.
" We were absolutely delighted when it was announced in November that he had won the Best Site in Scotland award in the medium category - but then to top this with the Supreme award is quite exceptional - it is reflective of Paddy's commitment to his professionalism as a Site Manager and his strong team ethos."
Castle Square, situated in close proximity to the bustling coastal town of Ayr, is a tasteful development that has recently sold out and consists of a mix of two and three-bedroom Eriskay and Westray bungalows, as well as three-bedroom semi-detached Lismore villas.
Paddy, who started as an apprentice joiner with Mactaggart & Mickel when he was only 17, was promoted to Site Manger just over 13 years ago. Married with two grown up children, Kenneth and Kerry, Paddy and wife Moira are an excellent advert for Mactaggart & Mickel homes - as they live at the company's Castle View development in Greenan.
Paddy is currently working as Site Manager at Mactaggart & Mickel's The Grange and The Walled Garden, adjacent developments at Perceton, on the outskirts of Irvine. And if he continues his roll of success then these developments are certain to be earmarked for next year's awards.
There has been a great deal of interest in these developments after an archaeological field evaluation last year, funded by the company, discovered pottery remnants believed to date back to the middle ages. The archaeological study also unearthed that Robert the Bruce once reclaimed the land The Grange now stands on back from the English.
The Grange offers a mix of spacious detached villas bungalows including the five-bedroom Islay, four-bedroom Tiree and three-bedroom Easdale bungalow. Prices are being releases at this site from £90,085.
The Walled Garden development is surrounded by an historic wall - which is thought to be more than three hundred years old and once bordered Perceton House when it was built in 1770. A selection of five-bedroom detached Colonsays comprise this development - prestigious family homes that include a double garage and conservatory. Prices are being released from £173,715.
The pricing packages at The Grange and Walled Garden include a Standard or Gold Standard finish. For further information on both developments, please contact Anita Lippe at the sales office on 01294 212 238, open Thursday to Monday, 11am to 5pm. For details of all Mactaggart & Mickel developments, contact the Direct Sales Line on 0845 600 1925.