Two teenagers from the West Midlands are celebrating after being chosen by Lovell for two of the company's top regional awards.

Apprentice carpenter Taylor Canavan, who lives in Quinton, Oldbury, has been selected by Lovell as the company’s Apprentice of the Year for the Midlands region. Trainee bricklayer Garreth James, from Hill Top, West Bromwich, received the award for Personal Achiever of the Year.

Taylor, 18, and Garreth, 19, were each presented with a glass trophy and a bottle of champagne by Lovell to mark their achievements.

"It's great to see two talented youngsters like Taylor and Garreth making such impressive progress with their careers," said David Gough, regional director for Lovell, which has local offices at Woodgate Business Park, Woodgate Valley, Birmingham. "Congratulations to both of them – they have worked extremely hard and fully deserve to be rewarded for their efforts."

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Taylor and Garreth both joined Lovell in February 2008 and, with the company's support, recently completed NVQ Level 2 qualifications in carpentry and joinery and bricklaying respectively. In addition to their work on site, the pair attended the national Lovell apprentice training centre, the Lovell Craft Academy at Stephenson College, Leicestershire, on a block release basis.

Both are now continuing to build up their experience on site. Taylor is part of the Lovell team replacing 1950s PRC bungalows with 111 new two- and three-bedroom homes at the Taran Estate in East Park, Wolverhampton, as part of a £13 million scheme for Bromford Housing Group. Garreth is working on a £13 million mixed tenure development at Tipton, Dudley, where Lovell is creating 109 homes, including 30 affordable homes, for Black Country Housing Group.

(CD/GK)