It was my honour, as BSPF president to present the awards this year.

Highlighting the cream of the crop, the annual British Pool & Hot Tub Awards hosted by the SPATA (Swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association) and BISHTA (British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association) spotlights companies striving to meet (and in some cases exceed) the trade association standards and an industry-recognised code of ethics, distinguishing themselves as high-calibre professionals within their field. Through their dedication, they are helping to raise standards for the industry.

Bringing the UK’s most skilled wet leisure companies

together in celebration

These awards not only recognise companies for their superior work, celebrating both the technical and aesthetic aspects, but they also create an inspirational gallery of award-winning projects for consumers to view, in the knowledge that as trade association members, every company is expected to work to British and European standards, and trade ethically.

SPATA and BISHTA annually invite their members to enter the awards, which combine swimming pool, spa, hot tub, and wellness industry categories and attract entries from companies across the British Isles (and some also come from overseas members), celebrating the best of construction, design, installation, retail, hire, service, and innovation.

Before entries are submitted to the experts and specialist panel of judges from the pool and hot tub industry, all entries are reviewed for their technical merit to assess whether they meet industry standards, as a minimum requirement.

With 32 categories to be contested, this year's winning and highly commended entries demonstrate the breadth of talent and commitment to quality and service in the industry.

This year’s award ceremony took place on the evening of Tuesday, 31^st January, and is annually part of the Industry Gala Evening, hosted by the BSPF (British Swimming Pool Federation) at the Coventry Building Society Arena in the West Midlands during SPATEX, the UK’s only dedicated international pool, spa and wellness show (31^st January to 2^nd February 2023).

The top SPATA awards on the night were announced as the following companies;

·      The Peter Geekie Award for Retail Excellence was won by Oyster Pools & Hot Tubs

·      The Paul Kite Award for Pool Star of the Year was won by Chris Davies of Cresta Leisure

·      Whitewaters won the Dick Millward Trophy for Pool Contractor of the Year

·      Tanby Pools won the Outstanding Pool of the Year Award

The top BISHTA awards on the night were awarded to the following companies;

·      Hydropool Devon won the Gold Award for Hot Tub Happiness

·      Hot Tub Suppliers won the Gold Award for Hot Tubs Change Lives

A brand new BISHTA award category was launched for 2023, the Peter Newbery Award for UK Innovation. The award showcases individuals, staff members, organisations, companies, and partnerships for introducing initiatives, products or processes with inventive approaches as they navigate a developing and competitive industry. The 2023 winner was Darlly Europe, awarded for their Sanistream System.

Chris Hayes (Managing Director of SPATA and BISHTA) commented: "This year's entries superbly demonstrate the skilled projects undertaken by SPATA and BISHTA members. The quality of work from this year’s winning companies is outstanding and demonstrates the talent, skill, and quality of the UK wet leisure industry. Congratulations to all the winners; we wish all of them continued success moving forward through 2023 and beyond".

Supporting the 2023 British Pool & Hot Tub Awards, the Partners and Sponsors are; Adtrak, AstralPool UK, Calorex, Certikin, Complete Pool Controls, Fairlocks Pool Products, Complete Spas, Golden Coast part of Pollet Pool Group, Heatstar, HTH T/A Innovative Water Care, SPN, Jacuzzi, Nsure, OASE, Plastica, Sprayed Concrete Solutions and What Pool & Hot Tub Magazine.