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Get your ‘Tools at the Ready’ for Tradesman of the Year!
December 2008Budget Van Insurance & checkatrade.com launch competition to find the UK’s top tradespeople
Budget Van Insurance and Checkatrade are joining forces to launch the ‘Tradesman of the Year 2009’ competition; championing the skills of Britain’s most talented tradesmen and women. The contest provides the cream of the UK’s trade workforce with the chance to win a £2000 cash prize and scoop the coveted ‘Tradesman of the Year 2009’ title.
Checkatrade is an online marketplace for tradesmen and homeowners. It connects consumers with authorised workmen and women, who have been vetted by Checkatrade and are continuously monitored via unique customer feedback cards. The site is helping bring well-deserved recognition to hard working tradesmen and assisting consumers locate the perfect plumber or plasterer for their home improvement needs.
Last year’s winner, Paul O’Connor1, of Ronnoco Building Services, London was thrilled to win the prize, beating hundreds of other entrants to the title. Paul said: "The competition helps to highlight first-class quality amongst small businesses across the UK and also assists customers make wise decisions about the choice of tradesperson they allow into their homes. I’d thoroughly recommend entering the competition.
To enter
Tradespeople can enter by logging on to either the Budget Van Insurance website (www.budgetvaninsurance.com)and clicking the link to ‘Tradesman of the Year’, or www.tradesmanoftheyear.com, where they can register their details. Alternatively, if a satisfied customer wants to sing a tradesman’s praises, they too can log on and nominate their favourite expert.
Mnveer Arkan, Budget Van Insurance says: "There are thousands of talented tradesmen and women out there. We want to give them recognition by highlighting the excellent job they are doing, and the importance of the essential services they are providing to their customers every day."
Kevin Byrne, Checkatrade says: "The competition is a fantastic opportunity to recognise the skills of tradespeople in the UK, giving one lucky winner the ‘stamp of quality’ title, as ‘Tradesman of the Year’.
"Our website www.checkatrade.com aims to assist both tradespeople looking for a way to secure more work, and customers looking for the right workman or woman to carry out jobs in their homes. We offer consumers the opportunity to make an informed choice through our quality vetting processes."
For full terms and conditions please visit www.budgetvaninsurance.com or www.tradesmanoftheyear.com
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For further information please contact:
Roland Cross/Lizzie Hannaway
Broadgate
020 7726 6111
Note to editors:
1. Paul O’Connor. Company name, Ronnoco Building Services – further information can be found at info@ronnoco-building.co.uk
The BGL Group
The BGL Group, formerly known as Budget Group of Companies (the Group) was founded in 1992 and has grown to become one of the UK’s largest personal lines insurance intermediaries, through a combination of organic growth and a series of major strategic acquisitions (the last major acquisition was five years ago).
The Group now arranges and administers insurance for 1.9 million customers. It operates major contact centre operations (Fusion) in Peterborough, Coventry, Sunderland, Peterlee in the UK, and Cape Town, South Africa. The Group currently employs 2,255 people with its head office in Peterborough.
As an intermediary, the Group is able to access a wide range of underwriters, making it highly competitive in the marketplace, offering core products such as motor, home, commercial vehicle and motorcycle insurance. The Group also offers a wide range of supplementary products, which include breakdown cover, legal protection, travel insurance, life assurance, pet insurance and mortgage payment protection insurance.
In 2006 the Group received ‘Intermediary of the Year’ (Insurance Age UK Broker Awards) for its outstanding contribution to the insurance industry. In April 2007, the Sunday Times’ PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 rankings selected the Group as ‘one to watch’.
Budget Van insurance searches a panel of 12 insurers to offer competitively priced van insurance, in addition to exceptional product benefits. In 2006 Budget Van launched various innovative marketing campaigns including ‘it’s a van man thing’ and ‘flying traffic wardens’, which resulted in it being awarded ‘Marketing Campaign of The Year 2006’ (Insurance Times Awards). More recently Budget Van and News of the World have joined forces to produce the Dream Dates Calendar 2008.
BISL Ltd, part of the BGL Group is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Registered Address: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, PE2 6YS.
Registered in England no 3231094
BGL Group websites:
Checkatrade
When a tornado damaged hundreds of Selsey buildings in 1998, cowboy operators travelled from all over the country to take advantage of the situation. Homeowners were deceived with no easy way to discern between genuine tradesmen and swindlers.
Local businessman Kevin Byrne discovered little was being done to help consumers and reliable information about legitimate businesses was hard to find. He started Checkatrade, a free information service that runs on the basis of reputation; with all member businesses being recommended, vetted and monitored, the public were able to find the latest facts about trades and services in their area.
The system worked, and the service was soon dealing with thousands of businesses and consumers. Trades and services were proud to be listed and shown to be trustworthy. What started as a local initiative is now a national service, improving the standard of work and delivering peace of mind to consumers when choosing a trade or service provider.