Last Friday saw the much anticipated G Awards take place at the Hilton Hotel in London. The G Awards will from 2013 be joined by the National Fenestration Awards, showcasing the best of what the industry has to offer in terms of deserving companies and people. Many of us were unable to go to London for the event, so for those that are unaware of who won, here is a list of the successful companies:

Glass Company Of The Year: Glassolutions Saint Gobain

Health And Safety Initiative Of The Year: Pilkington UK

Customer Care Initiative Of The Year: Everglade Windows

Energy Efficiency Initiative Of The Year: VEKA UK

Fabricator Of The Year: Lister Trade Frames

Installer Of The Year: T&K Home Improvements

Conservatory Installer Of The Year: P&P Glass

Trade Promotional Campaign: Rehau

Component Supplier: Edgetech

Public Sector Project Winner: Pilkington UK

Retail Promotional Campaign: Ultraframe

Derek Bonnard Award For Excellence: Lister Trade Frames

Apprentice Of The Year: Mitchell Gooch, Pioneer Trading Company

So there you have it folks. Some very familiar names in there, and one or two that aren’t. I was watching the debate on Twitter as the awards were being announced, and the one that caused the most stir and anger was the winner of Conservatory Installer of the Year P&P Glass. There were allegations and accusations. Made for good viewing! There was also the same old comments about things being fixed and so on.

First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone that won an award. Secondly however, the constant ‘fixed’ comments year after year must be starting to scratch a few heads now. 2013 will be the first year which will boast two industry awards at the end of the year. The new National Fenestration Awards will be the first awards that will be totally transparent, open and completely inclusive of everyone in the industry who wishes to take part. These awards are filling a gap in the awards season in our industry which both myself and Nick Dardalis feel needs plugging. The Twitter account for the awards has now been launched and you can follow us there by clicking the link: @NatFenAwards.

The awards season does however this year cap off what has been quite a successful 2012 for the industry. Avoiding the bloodbath which was predicted at the end of 2011 but also prospering a little. Reports of records being broken and targets being smashed has made for reading instead of companies going bust week after week.