Celebrating the British Drilling Association Gala & Awards 2024

November 16, 2024

With over 170 guests attending, the BDA Gala & Awards 2024 was a tremendous success, showcasing the best of the land drilling industry, while celebrating the achievements and advancements made by our members. Held in Liverpool on 15^th November, the evening brought together industry leaders for an unforgettable night of recognition, celebration, and networking.

Thanks to Our Sponsors
The event was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, whose generous contributions helped elevate the evening’s festivities. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to JKS Boyles (headline sponsor); Causeway Geotech; Stratum Drilling Solutions; WJ UK; Marshall Drilling; Concept Site Investigations; Dunelm Geotechnical & Environmental; Jooce Marketing & PR, and Equipe Group, each of whom played an essential role in making the evening possible.

Raising Funds for a Worthy Cause
We are proud to announce that the evening’s raffle raised almost £2,000 for Rugby League Cares, supporting their ongoing efforts to enhance lives through sport. A huge thank you to all those who donated raffle prizes, and to those who bought raffle tickets, every contribution helped towards this worthy cause.

Thanks to Our Organisers
A huge thank you to our organisers – Debbie Darling, Natalie Bews, Charlie Allardyce, with support from Joel Stevens, for their tremendous efforts putting this event together.

Celebrating Our Winners
Of course the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the awards ceremony, where we celebrated excellence across six categories. Our winners are:

• Health & Safety Award [Sponsored by Causeway Geotech] – Equipe Group, for its Rhino Cutter.
• Rising Star Award [Sponsored by WJ UK] – Ed Hopkins, SOCOTEC.
• Land Drilling Industry Contractor of the Year [Sponsored by Stratum Drilling Solutions] – Marshall Drilling; with Soil Engineering Highly Commended.
• Specialist Support Service Supplier of the Year – Concept Site Investigations (Winner); with Alpha Plant & Equipment Highly Commended
• Equipment Innovation Award – Marshall Drilling Ltd, for their multi-purpose geotechnical rotary coring mast; with SOCOTEC and Alpha Plant & Equipment + SOCOTEC Highly Commended
• Lifetime Contribution to the Industry Award [Sponsored by Marshall Drilling] – Anne Baxter, James Raeburn, and Peter Reading, along with a special mention of Kevin Jones, our 2023 Lifetime Contribution recipient

Congratulations to all winners and thank you to every nominee for their hard work, dedication, and innovation within the land drilling sector.

Looking Ahead to 2025
With such a successful event in 2024, we’re already beginning to plan for the 2025 Gala & Awards event, aiming to make it even bigger and better.

If you have any suggestions for the 2025 event or feedback on the 2024, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Debbie Darling at: BDAJooce@britishdrillingassociation.co.uk