The NASC has announced that its prestigious Scaffolding Excellence Awards 2025 will be hosted by a trio of household names, Clare Balding, Alex Jones, and Leigh Francis at a glittering ceremony in Manchester this September.

Taking place during Scaffex25, the awards evening is widely regarded as the highlight of the scaffolding and access industry calendar, offering a rare moment to celebrate standout achievements, innovation, and excellence across the UK sector.

This year’s ceremony brings together a formidable hosting team:

• Clare Balding – an award-winning broadcaster and author, renowned for her Olympic coverage, documentaries, and campaigning work. She was awarded a CBE in 2022 for services to sport and charity.

• Alex Jones – one of the UK’s best-loved presenters, known as the face of BBC’s The One Show. She has fronted a wide range of factual and lifestyle programmes and is a passionate advocate for family, wellbeing and community causes.

• Leigh Francis – comedian, actor and writer, best known for his character Keith Lemon. While Keith may be on “permanent holiday,” Francis is expected to bring plenty of humour and energy to the evening in his own right.

More celebrity special guests are expected to be confirmed in the weeks leading up to the ceremony.

Clive Dickin, NASC Chief Executive, said: “It’s always such a great night. A chance for the industry to get together and have fun. One member recently said he’d rather be in Manchester for this one night than go on a week’s holiday in Greece.

He may be right, this is shaping up to be one of our best events yet.”

Celebrating the Best in Scaffolding

The awards are open to NASC members and span nine categories, covering a broad cross-section of the industry’s people, products, and projects. They include:

• Apprentice of the Year

• Lifetime Achievement Award

• Best Product or Service of the Year

• Project Awards – recognising small, medium, large and major projects, as well as best scaffold design

The project categories aim to reflect the vast range and complexity of modern scaffolding work, from tightly managed urban builds to major infrastructure schemes, while the product and service award highlights the role of innovation in advancing safety, productivity, and quality on-site.

James McFadden, Chair of the independent judging panel and CS&A Responsible Engineer at Sellafield, said: “For anyone in the scaffolding and access world, these are the awards that matter. They’re recognised as a seal of approval from industry peers. To collect one of these awards in September, you will have to beat some very impressive entries.”

Winners will be chosen by a panel of independent experts and announced live during the gala dinner in front of hundreds of industry leaders.

Entries Now Open

Submissions are now open at nasc.org.uk/awards and close later this summer. Those looking to attend the ceremony or reserve a table can book via nasc.org.uk/product-category/scaffex-2025.