25th bodyshop Awards back live and with a bang

11 April 2022 | Simon Wait

bodyshop magazine celebrated the best and brightest in the collision repair industry on Thursday evening (7 April 2022) with the most respected and prestigious prize-giving event in the sector now in its 25th year

25th bodyshop Awards back live and with a bang

After months of debate and jury deliberation, followed by a coronavirus-enforced postponement in December 2021, 18 independent awards were handed out to individuals and organisations from across the entire collision repair industry, including apprentices and senior technicians, assessors, insurers, manufacturers, educators, and bodyshops large and small (see the full list of winners below).

Before the main event got under way at ICC Wales near the Celtic Manor Resort, the magazine's 30 Under 30: Rising Stars presented by 3M were honoured and celebrated on the big stage. Click the link to see our 30 Under 30 winners for 2021.

"Congratulations to all of this year's fantastic 30 Under 30 award winners," said bodyshop editor Simon Wait. "Once again, this is an impressive group of young people which we believe places the future of our industry in safe hands."

During the 30 Under 30 celebration, bodyshop CEO Jason Moseley was joined on stage by Carbon Neutral Repair's Dom Napier who certified this year's #bodyshopAwards fully carbon neutral after the magazine calculated its total CO2e output in staging the event – including each guest's travel and accommodation footprint, as well as that of all suppliers and staff in the build-up to the event and throughout the big night.

Among the notable highlights in the main Awards, which were hosted by mental toughness coach Penny Mallory, was just how close the judging and the practical assessments were across numerous categories, especially the technician awards.

One of the biggest prizes on the night – bodyshop magazine's Bodyshop Manager of the Year – was claimed by Patrick Mackin, who narrowly edged out Micah Sherwood from English Ford Poole.

The winning third-generation repairer from Mackins ARC in Newry, County Down, said: "I felt privileged just to have been nominated for this award and was delighted to be named as a finalist. To win it caps a massive award-winning year for myself and the Mackins Accident Repair Centre team, who are always pro-actively pushing and improving standards within our industry. This may be an individual award but it's only been possible because of our amazing team."

bodyshop Awards 2021 winners

Powered by Vizion – bodyshop Remit Apprentice & Technician Awards 2021

  • MET Apprentice of the Year – Catherine Short | The Vella Group | Workington
  • Panel Apprentice of the Year – Michael Eaton | Fleetline Coachworks | Croydon
  • Paint Apprentice of the Year – Benthany Creaser | FMG Repair Services | Chilham
  • MET Technician of the Year – George Roberts | Solus ARC | Warrington
  • Panel Technician of the Year – Derek Nesbitt | Solus ARC | Cumbernauld
    • Highly commended – Bob Smyth | Charles Hurst ARC | Belfast
  • Paint Technician of the Year – Rachel Murray | Paint by Rach | Belfast
    • Highly commended – Adam Davis | The Bodycentre | Norwich

bodyshop Awards 2021

  • Educator of the Year – Chesterfield College & ITAS (joint winners)
  • Work Provider of the Year – Vizion Network
  • New Technology Award – Walcom | Ego Carbonio 190 HTE
  • Insurer of the Year – LV=
  • Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year – Stellantis
  • Customer Experience Award – Alpha Rapid Repair
  • Restoration Bodyshop of the Year – Midland Paintwerks
  • New Bodyshop of the Year – AXIOM ARC | Yaxley
    • Highly commended – Zeus Accident Repair | Snodland
  • MSO Bodyshop of the Year – The Vella Group
  • Independent Bodyshop of the Year – Autocraft | Telford
  • Bodyshop Manager of the Year – Patrick Mackin | Mackins ARC | Newry
    • Highly commended – Micah Sherwood | English Ford | Poole

IAEA Award

  • VDA of the Year – Jason Russell | LV=

bodyshop magazine is grateful to all its the bodyshop Awards 2021 sponsors for helping to make the event such a triumph this year. Our special thanks go to Platinum Partners 3M, Axalta, Solera Audatex, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Innovative Repair Group (iRG) and Vizion Network; Gold Partners Accident Credit Group, AkzoNobel, BASF, CAPS, Car-O-Liner, Fix Auto UK, the IAEA, Kapci Coatings, and Remit Training; and Silver Partners AMA Group, Ezi-Methods, Prasco, Supreme Wheels, Thatcham Research, The UK Garage & Bodyshop Event presented by Automechanika UK, and Tractable.

Thanks also to our 30 Under 30 partners 3M, and to Hills Salvage & Recycling for supplying cars, Prasco UK for supplying panels, and Axalta and 3M for competition paint and consumables used during the hands-on technician assessments at Remit Training.