Screwfix has announced the semi-finalists for its Top Tradesperson 2023 Award, with eight UK plumbers and heating engineers reaching this stage of the national award. They include Ross Coen, Natasha Clark-Withers, Michael Goodall, John Cruickshank, Ian Chapman, Anthony Sanders, Andrew Terry and Alice Lees.
Ross Coen, 39, from Warrington owns Bumblebee Plumbing and Heating Ltd and has been working in the trade for more than 20 years. He is passionate about giving back to the local community, with Bumblebee Plumbing and Heating sponsoring a range of local teams and sportspeople and working closely with charities such as Warrington Childrens’ Hospital.
Natasha Clark-Withers, 39, is from Epsom and owns Clark & Withers Plumbing and Heating. She has been working in the trade for more than 13 years, starting out as a British Gas engineer, before leaving in 2016 to start her own business.
Michael Goodall, 35, from Leeds owns iPlumb and has been working in the trade for 20 years. As an employer, Michael has put four individuals through apprenticeships to become fully qualified plumbing and gas engineers.
John Cruickshank, 43, is a heating engineer from Bexley and owns Cruickshank Plumbing. He has been working in the trade for 25 years and is committed to ensuring that new talent entering the industry is supported. John regularly shares his own experiences and knowledge on social media to inspire others and shine a light on how the plumbing and heating sector is changing to embrace renewable technologies.
Ian Chapman, 46, from Edinburgh is the co-director of Chaps Heating & Plumbing and has been working in the trade for 28 years. He continues to invest in additional training for himself, as well as the apprentices he employs, to ensure they have wide-ranging knowledge on emerging heating technologies, such as hydrogen and heat pumps.
Anthony Sanders, 47, from Norwich is the co-director of Smart Heating EA Ltd and has been working in the trade for 18 years. Anthony showed a passion for the environment in his application, planting trees for every boiler installation to offset the company’s carbon footprint.
Andrew Terry, 63, from Selby owns AJT Plumbing and has been working in the trade for 23 years. He has built up a reputation as a skilled plumber and has trained several apprentices over the years, as well as teaching plumbing at York College.
Alice Lees, 29, from Cheltenham owns ATL Plumbing and has been working in the trade for 10 years. As one of the only female plumbers in her county, Alice also advocates for diversity in the trade.
They will now compete against 19 other top tradespeople from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, who were selected from over 1,000 applications, for the chance to be shortlisted as a top 10 finalist.
The top 10 will participate in a one-day final event at Screwfix Live, on Friday 22nd September, where a panel of esteemed industry experts will interview the finalists before deciding on who is this year’s champion.
The overall winner will be crowned Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023, and take home the ultimate trade bundle of tools, tech, and training worth £20,000.
Now in the 14th year of the prestigious award, the winner will join the Top Tradesperson Hall of Fame, alongside reigning champion Toby Peacock who won the competition last year.
Toby, an electrician from Cambridge, has shown himself to be a true ambassador for the trade, launching his podcast ‘Tearoom Talks’ which focuses on improving mental health in the trade.
Jack Wallace, Marketing Director at Screwfix, said: “We know there are many exceptional tradespeople out there who show passion and dedication day in, day out. When choosing our champion of the trade, we look for inspirational tradespeople that go above and beyond for their customers, as well as acting as an ambassador for the industry to encourage the next generation of tradespeople. Through this national award, we hope to recognise the fantastic work of tradespeople who are invaluable to our economy and the communities they serve.
“A huge congratulations to all our semi-finalists – I wish them the best of luck and look forward to meeting our finalists in September!”
To find out more about Screwfix Top Tradesperson, please visit screwfix.com/stt
Screwfix is an Industrial Associate of CIPHE, to see the full list of Industrial Associates check out the directory HERE