We raised a fantastic £89,000 at our second Hertfordshire Residential Development Awards ceremony on 12 November 2025 at Tewinbury Hotel.

The glittering fundraising event, sponsored by land agency, Walter Cooper, was hosted by talkSPORT presenter, Shebahn Aherne, and attended by more than 300 guests from the Hertfordshire property industry, as well as Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Dr Sally Burton.

The award winners were selected after careful consideration by a panel of property expert judges, headed by television presenter and architect, Damion Burrows RIBA ARB.

The awards presented included Small, Medium and Large Developers of the Year; Consultancy of the Year; Strategic Land Promoter of the Year and Development Site of the Year.

Special guest, England Rugby World Cup Winner, Rosie Galligan, presented Property Person of the Year Award to Mark Johnson, who collected the award on behalf of the winner, James Craig.

The Deputy Lieutenant presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Andy Hill of The Hill Group to recognise his outstanding contribution to the public and private housebuilding sector.

Simon Cox, managing director of Walter Cooper, addressed the ceremony to pay tribute to Andy: “Andy has an outstanding reputation in the housebuilding sector and is a pioneer in developing public and private sector partnerships.

“For over 25 years, he has consistently delivered award-winning homes across a range of tenures, from landmark mixed-use regeneration schemes and smart inner-city apartments to modern rural developments.

“His approach is best in class. He leads a business that builds distinctive and sustainable homes with customer satisfaction at the heart of every project.

“Having been awarded an OBE in the King’s Honours in 2023 for his contribution to affordable housing delivery, he has continued to go from strength to strength and remains a major employer in Hertfordshire providing significant economic influence on our county.

“A lifetime achievement award is about legacy and everyone in this room will have been involved or influenced in some way by his work. It’s a legacy which is richly deserving of this accolade.”

Also at the event, Lizzie Franklin-Jones, divisional director of nursing at East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, shared her moving story of giving birth to her son at Lister Hospital at 28 weeks, and how her experience of being on the other side of medical care inspired her to work with the charity to help enhance the experience for other patients.

Shauna Gooding, philanthropy and event manager said: “It was such an amazing evening. This was only our second time of hosting the ceremony, and it was bigger and better than ever. We celebrated the best of the Hertfordshire property industry and also raised an incredible amount to support our wonderful NHS and ensure patients get exceptional care and have the best experience at all our hospitals.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped us make it such a fantastic night: our sponsors - Walter Cooper, Red Loft, DMBA, Tollers Solicitors, Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Redrow, Fresh Lemon, Tewinbury and Worcester Lloyd; H Productions and photographer, Elizabeth Woolmer and everyone who donated or entered the silent auction. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!”

The full list of winners are:

• Small Developer of the Year – Laxton Properties
• Medium Developer of the Year – Oakford Homes
• Large Developer of the Year – Barratt Redrow
• Consultancy of the Year – Prime Plots
• Strategic Land Promoter of the Year – Griggs Homes
• Development Site of the Year – Old Rectory Farm, Laxton Properties
• Property Person of the Year – James Craig
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Andy Hill

Gallery from the night.