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This submission is made on behalf of Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of the UK Timber Frame Association


With much of the hard work in our industry currently going unnoticed, I would like to take the opportunity to nominate Gerard Lockey as one of our industry’s unsung heroes.

Since becoming Chair of the UK Timber Frame Association’s Health & Safety and Training Board four years ago, Gerard has been influential in changing our members attitudes’ towards on-site working conditions and employee training.

Initially, Gerard was responsible for the successful implementation of the UKTFA’s SiteSafe Scheme, which aims to reduce the risk of fire on timber frame construction sites. More recently, he has been instrumental in making education, upskilling and training a top priority.

Gerard is currently working with fifteen UKTFA erector members to improve their business skills and knowledge; ensuring they are in the best position possible to capitalise on an upturn in the economy. The programme focuses on improving companies’ knowledge in a wide range of areas, from leadership, strategy and management of employees, to business planning, marketing and sales, with a view to making them ‘better businesses'

Although the programme is still in its infancy, the results are already starting to show, with some members putting formal business plans in place for the first time. Gerard’s work with these companies is transforming the perception of the erector community within the UK construction industry, and in honour of this, he was awarded a Growth Recognition Award from the Construction Industry Training Board in April.

What is most astounding is that all of this work has been carried out on a voluntary basis, with Gerard also a director of Regal Carpentry, a leading innovator in the timber industry. It is for these reasons – and many more – that I view Gerard as one of the construction sector’s unsung heroes, who continues to push the boundaries and drive progress forward.