SPATA & BISHTA AWARD WINNERS 2012
Two family businesses dominate pool and spa awards night
Two traditional family run, high profile swimming pool builders shared the main glory at the SPATA awards evening in Brighton.

Tanby Pools, based in Surrey and run by Martin and Delyse Borley and Cresta Leisure from Dorset, run by the Bareham family and headed by Tim Bareham shared the Dick Millward Trophy for Pool Contractor of the Year when they equalled the number of points won for their winning pools during the awards.

Tanby Pools won two gold awards for best renovation and best residential pool over £60,000 and a silver while Cresta Leisure won a gold for the best liner pool up to £30,000, two silvers and a bronze.

The other big winner of the evening was Poolcourt Ltd, based in County Wexford, Ireland who won their award for a high profile pool and spa complex at the Garryvoe Hotel, Cork on the west coast of Ireland overlooking Ballycotton Bay. The pool which included a jogging ring and a two lane 25 metre pool as part of the hotel’s spa complex also won a gold award for commercial pools installations.

Richard Bolger from Poolcourt Ltd who are regular winners of SPATA gold medals for their sumptuous pool installations commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have won two prestigious SPATA awards. This double win is a fantastic achievement and winning Pool of Year is a wonderful acknowledgement of our team’s dedication.”

The extended awards again highlighted the achievements of the pool industry by showcasing the best examples of construction, design and innovation.

Chris Hayes, Managing Director of SPATA said: “This year proved to be incredibly popular, creating tough decisions for the judges with a shortlist of 133 entries across 21 categories.” Wensum Pools in Fakenham won another of the night’s top prizes, the Peter Geekie award, sponsored by Certikin International for outstanding retail excellence.

The Fakenham company “know all about first impressions,” said the judges, “with their attention to their customers and excellent reviews, and it shows in their showrooms. Each week they emphasise special offers giving customers new ideas and new products to try.

Seasonal offers and product advancement ensure the showrooms are ever changing and are kept exciting”.

Spectacular hot tubs in stunning locations were the central theme for the BISHTA (British and Irish Hot Tub Association) awards in Brighton which celebrated the best spas of the last twelve months.

An expanded category list and what the BISHTA judges called ‘an impressive high level of tubs and installations’ raised the profile of the awards.

Tony Welsby from Spa Crest Europe, who is President of the British Swimming Pool Federation and Issy Rickards Sanger from Elite Spas who chairs the BISHTA committee presented the awards at the presentation evening at Brighton’s Grand Hotel.

The 2012 SPATA & BISHTA category award winners in full were: