For the second year running, Guernsey pool company, Gillingham Pools Ltd, beat stiff competition to take home a Gold Award for the best pool in the residential outdoor concrete pool up to £45,000 category at the UK pool industry’s annual awards ceremony held in Brighton last week.

The Awards are made by SPATA (The Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association) – the UK industry watchdog for pool building standards. They are based on design and technical excellence, and are open to pools of all sizes and in all price categories.

Gillingham Pools of Portinfer, Vale won the award for this stunning pool that they installed in the grounds of a property in St Saviour’s. The judges were particularly impressed with how Gillingham Pools executed the client’s brief and gave the pool the requisite wow factor!

The client’s aim in building the pool was to make use of what was a difficult, and rather unused, sloping garden. A terrace was duly built in order that the pool was in line with the house and patio. In order to maximise the setting a vanishing infinity edge was constructed. With water cascading into an unseen channel, it gives the appearance of the pool being endless. The pool’s terrace affords stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Managing Director, Richard Gillingham adds: "It really is a unique pool and totally in keeping with its surroundings. The customer is absolutely delighted with his pool, which in a sense is reward enough, but it is always great to receive recognition from our peers and particularly for an installation for which we ourselves are very proud."

Established over 20 years ago by Richard and his wife Audrey, Gillingham Pools is a family run business with Richard and son and daughter-in-law, Geoff and Sonia at the helm. They work throughout the Channel Islands as well as the English south coast and France.

No stranger to industry awards (they have won numerous Gold, Silver & Bronze awards in the past), the company prides itself on having a 12 strong local workforce who install on average 20 to 25 pools a year. Richard adds: "Credit goes to the whole team for outstanding customer service and the high standards we set ourselves. Guernsey is only a small island yet I am immensely proud of our highly skilled team of craftsmen who always display the highest degree of integrity and professionalism."