And the winners are… 

A fantastic evening at the Hilton at St George’s Park in Burton Upon Trent, saw the winners of the 25th Pump Industry Awards’ ten categories announced to a record number of guests. Chris Callander reports. 

The celebration of the Pump Industry Awards began with a pre-dinner drinks reception as the finalists and guests gathered ahead of the gala dinner, and it was clear from the outset that there was a real sense of anticipation building. 

The 300 guests then enjoyed a sumptuous meal before Perry McCarthy, British racing driver and the original ‘Stig’ from BBC’s Top Gear, had them in stitches as he relayed stories of his early motor racing career, his brief, and somewhat challenging foray into Formula One, and his time as the Stig – sharing behind-the-scenes stories about racing’s harsh realities and the determination required to chase a dream against all odds. 

And then the business of the evening began. 

The first award to be announced was the Product of the Year, sponsored by DFA Media. Hotly contested by seven strong finalists, the winner was Salamander Pumps for its AquaScan meter 

The Project of the Year Award, sponsored by World Pumps, came next with Selwood coming out on top of the five finalists for its complex overpump during STW repairs and maintenance works for Northumbrian Water Group project. 

The third award to be handed out, sponsored by SPP Pumps, saw Crest Pumps win the Environmental Contribution of the Year award for its work revolutionising data centre sustainability with AVF-C Pump technology. 

Of the four finalists in the Manufacturer of the Year category, sponsored by WEG, SPP Pumps took home the accolade before the evening moved on to its next category, Distributor of the Year. 

New for 2025, this category had been split into two sub-categories and was collectively sponsored by Caprari and Calpeda. The Distributor of the Year award for companies with a turnover of less than £3 million was awarded to Deckpro Pumps while the award for companies with a turnover of more than £3 million went to Tomlinson Hall 

Supplier of the Year, sponsored by Wilo, was the next category to be awarded, with WEG UK beating the other three finalists to the title. 

The evening then moved on to the Contribution to Skills & Training award, sponsored by Crest Pumps. This important category was contested by four finalists, with the winner announced as Tomlinson Hall and Middlesbrough College for their Pump Centre of Excellence. 

The Rising Star award, sponsored by Innomotics, was the penultimate category. An important award for its role in showcasing the pump sector’s future talent saw Patrick Worth from Anglo Pumps declared the winner from an incredibly strong collection of six finalists. 

The final award of the evening, again new for 2025, was for a Sustainable Contribution for a Better World and sponsored by AESSEAL. There were three finalists in this category with Wilo taking the title for its water security and optimisation project 

With the award winners announced and the celebratory photographs taken, the evening moved on to a charity game of higher or lower in aid of WaterAid, the British Pump Manufacturers Association’s nominated charity. A lively and entertaining game saw £1755 raised by the collected guests to support this important initiative.  

Live musical entertainment then accompanied more networking and, no doubt, some bragging, before the Survivor’s Breakfast rewarded those die-hard guests that had made it through to 12.30am. 

As it has been for 25 years, the Pump Industry Awards 2025 was a fantastic showcase of the innovation and talent that shines in the pump industry, and long may it continue to do so. 

Further details of the evening and the winners and finalists will be shared in the next issue of Flow magazine. To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe for your free copy at flowmag.co.uk/about/#subscribe