Trophies and takeaways from the 2025 East Midlands Bricks Awards

Last week, the team piled into the KW wagon and headed down to Nottingham for one very important reason - to celebrate the best of the East Midlands property and construction industry at the 2025 Bricks Awards.

Hosted at Trent Bridge - cracking venue fyi, but sadly no cricket on show - the afternoon was relaxed, with a room full of curious and passionate people who build places worth caring about. We were there as first‑time sponsors of the Active Agent category - a natural fit for us, given the current and previous projects we’ve tackled across both property and heritage. Shaped by a love of architecture and planning - a genuine love, not a gushy ‘let’s just say it to sound good’ love - with Alex having studied both subjects at university and other members of the team very seasoned in both completing renovation works and writing about their historic relevance, as well as place-making.

A big thank you to Angie, Tess, and the Business Link team for a thoughtful evening, and to everyone who stopped for a natter - from developers and investors to Derby Council’s leader, Nadine Peatfield. The conversations were candid and brimming with ideas.

Why “Active Agent” matters to us

Sponsorship, for us, only makes sense when it aligns with the values we’ve championed since day one: creativity, purpose, and celebrating the difference people make. “Active Agent” as an award category did exactly that. It was created to recognise people who do the hard, daily work of shaping places - connecting briefs to budgets, communities to schemes, and ideas to delivery.

We see that energy up close with our clients in property, heritage, and the built environment. It’s why we invest in understanding planning constraints and delivery realities. It’s why we care about wayfinding as much as web traffic, and stakeholder packs as much as social assets. The work only works when it moves projects forward.

Congratulations to our winner

Congratulations to Salloway Property Consultants - a worthy winner whose approach captures what “Active Agent” is all about.

For us as sponsors and judges of this category, the three shortlisted businesses were all very deserving of a win for very different reasons, which made the decision quite tricky! But Salloway stood out for a few particular reasons:

• Comms comms comms - the team’s use of marketing and social media channels to share their influence in commercial property across the East Midlands sets Salloway apart; they are clearly proud to shout about what they are doing across the region.
• Next gen nurturing - the commitment Salloway showed to supporting the next wave of talent across the region was fantastic to see.
• Activity - the sheer breadth of activity taking place under Salloway’s watch in the region truly set them apart.

Partnerships that make sense

A big part of why we said yes to sponsoring was the partnership. Angie and Tess took the time to understand what we do and who we do it for. In return, we leaned in with content support and a willingness to be useful. That’s the shape of collaboration we like: mutual, practical, and pointed at outcomes that help both sides.

Showing up as ourselves

Clearly, ‘the marketing people’ in the room, the team didn’t stick to a stiff dress code and turned up as themselves, although Alex stopped short of sporting his branded yellow sweatshirt…this time: just people who care about the built environment and how good marketing can help it thrive and improve the future for the communities it serves. Alex’s short turn on stage, too, nodded to a background in architecture, planning, and the built environment - the bit that gives our clients an edge, and helps us spot what to elevate, what to simplify, and how to tell the story so it resonates with planners, partners, and the public.

If you’re a developer, investor, architect, or place‑maker who wants marketing that understands the realities of delivery and celebrates all you’re doing in the sustainability space, let’s talk. We’re at our best when we can help you turn complex, multi‑stakeholder work into stories that move people to act.

Our first Bricks Awards reminded us why we do this: people, places and the momentum that happens when both pull in the same direction.