Mulberry receives triple honours at national landscape industry awards
The Mulberry Partnership has scored a triple first in the 2008 BALI National Landscape Awards, which showcase the high levels of professionalism attained by members of the British Association of Landscape Industries. Mulberry was honoured in a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 5 December, gaining awards in the domestic garden maintenance and business grounds maintenance categories. Mulberry also picked up the award for Best Newcomer, presented annually to the newest BALI member to win a category award.
Since its introduction in 1976, the BALI awards event has grown to become the largest and most prestigious event in the industry, attracting interest from across the world. It was a particular honour to win their “BALIs” in the Mulberry’s first year since becoming a full member of the Association, as managing director Anthony Ussher explained.
“It’s a fantastic achievement. We set Mulberry up three years ago, and only became full members of the Association earlier this year, following BALI’s rigorous two-year vetting procedure. Gaining three awards in our first year is a great tribute to the Mulberry team.”
BALI’s membership rules require contractor applicants to provide ten referees together with details of landscaping contracts carried out during the two years prior to application. As well as the company itself, the vetting process covers the quality of work, premises, paperwork and accounts, work ethics, and health & safety.
Earning a National Award is an even more stringent affair, with the adjudication panel bringing in experts from across a range of industry disciplines. The panel is entirely independent and follows strict and transparent judging criteria, so its decisions are completely transparent and fully open to scrutiny.
“That’s why we are so proud of our awards”, concluded Ussher.”Each one represents not just the esteem of our peers, but also the high regard of the best in our industry.”
A maintenance programme for Turville Court in Oxfordshire earned Mulberry the award in the domestic garden category. The company employs two full-time gardeners on the 17-acre site, building on previous high-levels of care and developing a range of best practices. For example, most of the key maintenance tasks are carried out during winter, so that the full glory of the gardens can be enjoyed during the spring and summer.
The award in the commercial grounds maintenance category recognises excellence in maintaining the headquarters of computer security software firm Sophos plc, on Abingdon Science Park. The site covers an area of 145,000 square feet and, following previous years of poor husbandry, Mulberry’s stewardship has returned it to peak condition. Sophos’ high standards have been met by a comprehensive one-stop care and maintenance programme based on sustainability, comprehensive skills, and a systematic management approach.
