A TOLLESBURY company has won a national award for its work on a Maldon church.

Punch Construction of Woodrolfe Road, Tollesbury, was announced the winner of the public buildings category last night (Thursday, 13 May) in the Master Builder Awards. The firm was given the prestigious accolade for work on the new organ gallery at St Mary's Church in Maldon.

The new organ was installed in the historic and iconic church overlooking The Hythe last year, with the first services featuring its magnificent sound at Christmas.

Music director at the church, Colin Baldy, said: "It's wonderful to receive recognition for the beauty of the design and the craftsmanship of the builders who installed the gallery.

"It's fantastic to see our lovely town getting all this attention, both nationally and internationally, as a result of St Mary's now possessing a world class pipe organ."

Darren Arnull, owner of Punch Construction, said: "We're really pleased to win this award and I'm very proud of my amazing team.

"This was always going to be a challenging project but with the skill set we have, I knew this was going to be achievable and for this to be recognised by The Federation of Master Builders is the icing on the cake."